s: 





i 1 '■ i 





Class T-5 I0&1- 
Rnnlt , "R3 L .S 
Copyright N° H'3 . 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



A Line o' Cheer 



FOR 



Each Day o' the Year 




A Line o' Cheer 

for 

Each Day o' the Year 



By 



JOHN KENDRICK BANGS 




Boston 

Little, Brown, and Company 

1913 



75 i*fef 



Copyright, 1913, 
By Little, Brown, and Company. 

ytf// r^/j reserved 
Published, September, 191 3 



printers 
8. J. Park^ii.l <fc Co., Boston, U. S. A, 




£o fits Son 

FRANCIS HYDE BANGS 



3Tamtarp \ 




THE BOOK OF DAYS 

Another Book of Days has come to me. 
What story shall its pages fair reveal 
When this New Year hath ceased at last 

to be, 
And Time hath turned again his whirring 

wheel? 

May every day tell of some goodly deed 
Of kindness for my fellowmen fulfilled, 
Of thoughtfulness for them that stand in 

need, 
With faith and ready charity instilled. 

May ne'er a blot its virgin whiteness mar, 
No faithless thought appear in any line, 
And steadfast as some everlasting star 
May love eternal through its pages shine. 




THE PRICE 

That " all men have their price," a Cynic 

saith, 
And it is true, but not a price in gold. 
Some sell themselves for LOVE, and some for 

FAITH, 

And some tor helpfulness themselves have 
sold. 

Who sells himself for dross 

Wins but a meed of loss, 
But he who barters all his heart and mind, 
To ease a Sorrow, or some deed in kind, 
Hath got a worthy price in man's good-will 
That serves him best in days of his own ill. 




DELIVERANCE 

I never knew a night so black 
Light failed to follow on its track. 
I never knew a storm so gray 
It failed to have its clearing-day. 
I never knew such bleak despair 
That there was not a rift, somewhere. 
I never knew an hour so drear 
Love could not fill it full of Cheer! 




o? Qnt o y (Tvtvr 



Sfanuarp 4 



AS TO FAITH 

Who waits to prove his Faith before believ- 
ing 

But loses stores of wheat he might be sheav- 
ing, 

And in the end a loser poor comes out 

Since all his Faith is builded up on Doubt! 




3famiarp 5 



LOVE'S BLINDNESS 
They say Love 's blind, and cannot clearly 



see 



What he is at, or where he '11 shortly be; 
Yet where a Heart lies open, and awake, 
And waiting patiently for Love's own sake, 
Blind though he is, he goes unerringly, 
Nor needs a guide by night or day 
To point the way! 




BFanuarp 7 



X 



ROUTED 

When Trouble comes upon the scene 
Just greet him with a smiling mien, 
And make him feel that he 's the style 
Of friend you 've wished for all the while. 
If thus you do he will not stay, 
But soon departing on his way 
Will flee your hearth at maddest pace, 
For Trouble hates a smiling face! 




THE GAINER 

A Beggar gray told me to-day 

A story most appealing, 
And then and there what I could spare 

I gave him for his healing. 

They later told me I was sold, 

And I was much derided, 
But what if he did " bunco " me? 

He lost far more than I did! 

I thought I had the pleasure glad 
Of giving where 'twas needed; 

And if he lied, why me deride? 
I gained much more than he did. 




January 9 



A WINTER THOUGHT. 

Straight through the chill of winter days 

As clear as anything, 
Through all the murk, and misty ways, 

I see the coming spring. 

And clear above the noisy swell 

Of winter's arctic blast, 
I hear the bird-notes sweet that tell 

Of June days come at last. 

Old Winter's ways speak not of rue 
To me, things drab and gray — 

They point the path that leads us to 
The flowers of the May! 




THE ALTERNATIVE 

The future holds two possibilities — 
More living in some realm of mysteries 

Wherein as here to prove 
How we may rise to loftiest heights, with 
Love 

The test; 
Or just a sweet and everlasting rest, 

With ne'er 
A hint of sordid things, of pain, nor any care ! 







A CONSOLING THOUGHT 

If you have faults, grieve not ! 

Let this thought keep you warm: 
Who hath no faults hath got 

No hope for a Reform ! 




A PARADOX OF NOTHING 

He nothing had, yet Opportunity 
Came by and robbed him of his Poverty. 
'T is thus we see, despite accepted views, 
Who Nothing hath hath Something yet to 
lose! 




» 



&fiT)c^ d tkymm 



January 13 



SECURE 

Whatever Creditors may seize 
They cannot take our Memories. 
No cloud so dark can ever rise 
As to obscure to faithful eyes 
The vision of the treasure-trove 
Of Youth and unforgotten Love. 



o? Qm d (tm 



3Fattuarj> 14 



TWO WORLDS 

The world without 

Is fine, no doubt, 
With treasures fair to win; 

But as for me 

I look with glee 
Upon the world within. 

The treasures there 

Beyond compare 
A Fortune vast combine — 

Faith, Hope, and Health, 

And Love's own wealth, 
And every bit is — mine ! 




ACHIEVEMENT 

The climb is hard, the way is steep. 
The path is rough and hard to keep. 
The goal is far, and foes deride 
The Traveler on every side. 
Yet, day by day, and night by night, 
We nearer draw unto the height, 
Until at last the dawning sun 
Shines on the prizes nobly won; 
And all the strife, and vain regret, 
By which the journey was beset 
Forgotten lie amid the haze 
Of fast receding Yesterdays. 




3fanuarj> 16 



A SAFE RETREAT 

Keep a chamber in your heart 
Given o'er to Cupid's art, 
And whatever comes your way 
Spend some time there every day. 
'T is a method I am sure 
That will hold your Youth secure. 




SFauuarp 17 



M75 



DETERMINATION 

What I will must surely be ; 
What I WISH FOR I shall see; 
What I 'd have must come to me — 
If I will and WISH aright, 
And keep at it day and night 
Till at last it heaves in sight, 
And, according to my habit, 

I 'VE THE NERVE TO GO AND GRAB IT ! 




THE WRINKLED CHEEK 

A wrinkled cheek I '11 not despise, 

But rather prize! 
'T is but the Chart of Sorrow sore 
Some troubled Soul has traveled o'er, 

And calls to me 
Not for Contempt, but Sympathy. 




IN THE MIDST OF NIGHT 

I joy in brilliant days, 

Yet, in some ways, 
I take most rare delights 

In starless nights, 
Wherein in happy dreams 
I travel spectral streams, 

And see strange sights; 

And now and then 

Encounter men 
Of Fame of other times, 

And other climes. 

But, best of all, 
I hold high festival 
With Friends for whom my tears 
Were shed in Yesteryears ! 




qJL Qnt o J Qieer 



January 20 



A COMFORTING THOUGHT 

When on some wintry day I 'm caught 
'Twixt arctic blasts and chill exhausting, 

I take much comfort from the thought 
That cake is sweeter for the frosting. 




SFamiarp 21 



THE FALLEN SNOW 

The snow hath fallen, and the world 

Lies in an icy mantle furled, 

The which to some speaks but of ill 

And wintry chill. 
To me, 
Its perfect whiteness, and the glint 
Of spotless beauty are a hint 
That in a world of flaws, and flecks, 

And sorry specks, 
There still are stores of Purity, 
Unsullied by the stress and strife 
Of Life. 




THE CALL 

I shall not sit, and mope, and sigh, 

Because of winter and the storm, 
But forth upon the way I '11 hie 
With eager heart to see if I 
Can't make Somebody warm! 

The sleet, and chill, and bitter air, 

The blasts that bluster on the lea, 
And all the notes of wild despair 
Are but the call of Woe and Care 
Sent forth to summon me. 

So blow, ye winds from yonder north ! 
Upon my way I '11 sally forth, 
All heedless of your noisy rout, 
To do what Service lies without! 




_ 

&Kfi ( Day o } tkytar\ 

fanuarp 23 



IN WORKING DRESS 

This cheerless garb, so drab and drear, 
In which old Winter doth appear 
Is Nature's working-garment gray 
In which she labors day by day 
Preparing for the Gifts of May, 
When Spring the blest 
All gaily dressed, 
And full of mirth, 
Shall make her debut on the earth. 
Who hath the eye and ear 
E'en now can see and hear 
Her happy Elfin throng 
Rehearsing all day long 
The paeans they will sing 
In honor of the new-born Spring ! 




o? Qnt o Qutr 

January 24 



PROFITABLE CARELESSNESS 

Careless what the weather be; 
Careless be it dark or fair, 
Long as down inside o' me 
It is always sunny there — 
That 's the Carelessness to free 
Careless people of their Care. 




STanuarp 25 



THE WINTER PINE 

Out there in the sleet and hail 

Through this window-pane of mine 

Heedless of the roaring gale 
I can see a noble pine. 

Tempests rage, and torrents beat; 

Icy chill besieges, now, 
And a weight of frozen sleet 

Bends each overarching bough. 

Yet amid the storm and strife 
Quiet, strengthful and serene, 

Still it holds its place in life 
Unconcerned, and ever green. 

There 's a hint for me, I guess, 
In the midst of storm and stress ! 




WHEN DOUBT APPEARS 

When Doubt comes over you and Faith 
grows dim, 
And Miracles are needed to retrieve 
Your Spirit from misgivings dark and grim, 
And give new strength to that which you 
believe, 

Gaze anywhere — North, South, or East or 
West — 

On leafy trees, or on some lofty height; 
On solitudes where all things speak of rest, 

Or on the noisy marts by day or night. 

Look on the Rose, or on the winter skies ; 
On harvests sprung from the minutest 
seed; 
Look deep into some loving mortal's eyes — 
And Miracles you '11 find to serve your 
need. 




SFamtarp 27 



BROTHERHOOD 

I 'm not my Brother's Keeper, 
That fact can't be gainsaid, 

Yet may old Time the Reaper 
Find me my Brother's Aide ! 




A GOOD BARGAIN 

Who hath a Trouble, let him sell to me. 
I '11 gladly take it on and set him free. 
My profit? Well, to bear another's stress 
Relieves my own, and makes for Happiness. 




THE CONQUEROR 

To meet Death fearlessly — 

That may not be ! 
But when the time comes on 

In days anon, 
And Death draws grimly near, 

Though filled with Fear 
In spite of all may I 

Right bravely die, 
And pass those terrors o'er 

A Conqueror. 




AS TO SWEETS 

Revenge indeed is sweet; 

Yet I would here repeat a 
Small proverb rather neat — 

Forgiveness is much sweeter ! 




THE BLINDMAN 

The blindest man I 've ever seen 
Had eye so bright and vision keen 
That he could see a thing of ill 
A league beyond a distant hill, 
Yet never glimpsed the beauties rare 
That lushly bloomed beside his chair. 




FEBRUARY GIFTS 

Now February's days appear 
In somber mien, devoid of cheer — 
All cold of eye, and full of cloud, 
Beneath the yoke of winter bowed, 

Yet spite of all 

Her icy pall, 

She now and then 

Spreads forth for men 

Reluctant gifts 

Of sunny rifts, 
And smiling skies above — 

Much as true love 

And tenderness 
Have potency to ease distress. 




Jf efaruarp 2 



A PRAYER 

Whate'er we be, or Man, or Woman, 
Let 's pray the Lord to keep us human, 
And hold us in our mortal pride 
A little short of satisfied. 




FREE COINAGE 

What joy if sunshine were the gold 

We stored in massy piles, 
And hearts were but the banks that hold 

Our currency of smiles ! 

What bliss indeed to pay our debts, 
And put chill Want to flight 

By easing Poverty's regrets 
With coin of minted light! 




jf ebruarp 4 



IN THE VALE 

Fortune sings beneath my window, and her 
words are full of lure, 

But dear Love is here beside me and his 
riches are secure. 

Chance doth beckon from the hilltop, and his 
promises are rare; 

Service holds me in the valley, and I find con- 
tentment there. 



qJL {he o Queer 

Jf ebruarp 5 



ALL ABOARD! 

Somewhere the sun 's not shining, 
And clouds are dark and drear, 

With ne'er a silver lining 
To mitigate their fear. 

Let 's cease our own repining 
And hasten there with cheer. 



fa(i®aydtfwymr] 

Jf ebruarp 6 



THE UNIVERSAL TONGUE 

Talk not to me of Latin, Greek, 
Of Russian, French, or Portuguese. 

Love's language is the tongue I 'd speak 
All thrilled with hope, and joy, and peace. 

A language lacking tricks of phrase, 
And words portentous, seeming wise, 

That hath been used since those far days 
When hearts first spoke through mortal 
eyes. 




cJL Qxvt o 1 QRwr 

jf ebruarp 7 



K 



THE FOUNDATION 

Amid life's tribulations, 
Amid life's little woes, 
I find my consolations 
That on great irritations 
The strongest nations rose ! 




jf ebruarp 8 



SHARING AND BEARING 

If so it be you have a joy, 

Just go outside and share it, 
But if some trouble doth annoy, 
Why, sit within 
And try to grin 
And bear it! 




SMILES 

Smiles are sovereign remedies 
For all sorts of miseries 

That are all our own, 
But when others bear a cross, 
Suffering some grievous loss, 

They will not atone — 
Not unless they chance to be 
Smiles of tender sympathy. 




~M 



^®ay d thyean 



Jfebruarp 10 



THE AVERAGE 

I have noticed as I 've run 

Through this life of joy and striving 
Of ten troubles looked for, one 

Has a habit of arriving. 




oJL Qm o Qfxtr 

Jfebruarp U 



THE FEBRUARY SUN 

Look on the sun, and if you can, 
Bewail the chillsome lot of Man 

When in the sky 

You chance to spy 
According to kind nature's plan 
That universal warming-pan ! 




SkU^Dcoj 6 'thy ear] 

Jfebruarp 12 



ALLEVIATION 

It should not, maybe, yet it does 

Sometimes in trouble take the curse off, 

To think that Some One is, or was, 

Or some day, somehow, will be worse off. 




OL Qnt o J Qfietr 

jfebruarp 13 



BALM 

When critics hurt me with their sneer 
I find this couplet full of cheer: 

Who 's never hit 

Is never " IT " 1 




fiicU'D ] oy 6 t£e} } ear\ 

Jfebruarp 14 



GOOD WORDS 

To have a good word for my neighbor, 
To have a good word for my friend, 

Involves but a wee bit of labor, 
And nothing to boast in the end. 

But words that are good for my foeman 
And credit for virtues possest — 

Now that is a task, sir, that no man 
Can find little short of a test 
Of his best! 




qA [int o f Qietr 

Jfebruarp 15 



THE GREETING 

Who 's lavish with his smiles, 

And niggardly in tears, 
Will travel many miles 

Along the Road of Years; 
And when the journey 's o'er, 

The smiles of joy elate 
He 's spent in days of yore 

Will greet him at the Gate ! 



Jfebtuatp t6 ' 



GOSSIP 

When some one tells a tale of woe 
About my neighbor, I '11 receive it; 
But even though 
I know it 's so, 
I '11 merely smile — and not believe it 




cJL line o y (Jktr 

Jfebruarp 17 



A RESOLVE 

I 'm going to make To-day so fair 
That when it 's gone the usual way 

On some To-morrow full of care 
'T will make a pleasant Yesterday. 

And when the future doth appear 

A dreary prospect, bleak and black, 
I '11 ease a very present fear 
By looking back! 



fixti'Dcu) 6 tfceymr 

jfebruarp 18 

"ALL'S WELL" 

You may bind my body fast 

To some Post of Misery, 
But you '11 find me to the last 
Wheresoe'er my lot is cast 

In my Spirit free! 

Dreams are mine, and hopes likewise. 

Mine 's the light to ease my ill. 
Mine are all the far-flung skies; 
Wheresoever beauty lies 

Spirit roams at will. 

Bind me, chain me, prison me 
In some dark and loathsome cell, 

Still my Soul forever free 

Rises up exultantly 

Crying: "All Is Weill" 




£fL [int o Qietr 

Jfebruatp 19 



THE OPTIMISTIC PESSIMIST 

The pessimist who gloats on ill 
That is, or is to be to-morrow, 

Hath optimistic spirit still, 

He takes such joy in things of sorrow ! 




jfe&ruarp 20 

THE SEED 

Down in the darkness of the earth, 
In regions void of joy and mirth, 

A seed will rest, 
By seeming hopelessness of light, 
By seeming blackness of the night, 
Possessed. 

And then from out the wintry grip 
All on a sudden it will slip 

In Springtime hours 
To make on some glad day in May 
The prospect beautifully gay 
With flowers. 

So in my wintry cares ! I know, 
Despite the chill of present woe 

That holds me fast, 
I 'm but an earth-bound seed, and I 
Shall find the dawn of victory 
At last ! 




o? Qm o Qitvr 

Jfebruarp 21 



Wi 



ON DUTY 

Now what of the sleet? 
And what of the hail? 
And what of the fleet 
Tempestuous gale? 

O what of the chill, 
The ice and the snow, 
And all of this ill 
And bluster and blow? 

That 's what Winter 's for. 
It must be confest 
That though he 's a bore, 
He 's doing his best! 



; 



\£acfi ( Day 6 '&$ear\ 

jf efaruarp 22 



A DEMONSTRATION 

Cold is nothing! Demonstrate it? 

Like two twos when put together - 
When 't is coldest wise folks rate it 
As a bit of zero weather, 
And a zero, don't you see, 
Equals nothing — Q. E. D. 
When the bitter blasts are storming, 
May you find this notion warming! 




jf eferuarp 23 



ALONGSIDE 

Perhaps there 's nothing you can do 
To ease the other fellow's rue. 
But there 's no harm at least to stand 
In silence by, and press his hand, 
And let him know in his despair 
That though you 're helpless — you 
there ! 



are 





jf efcruarp 24 



tf 



SATISFACTION 

Aim high! E'en though the target is not hit, 
Your arrow, speeding to and from the 
height, 

In rise and fall, there 's no denying it, 
Can't help but have a satisfying flight. 



oJL (m. o Qfxctr 

Jf ebtuarp 25 



SWIMMERS ALL 

Life 's a sea, and we 're all swimmin', 
Boys and girls, and men and women. 
Tempests rage, and skies are clouded, 
In a black mist oft enshrouded; 
Water 's deep, and waves are towering 
Current's sometimes overpowerin' ; 
Hard to fight 'em single-handed, 
And sometimes perhaps we're stranded; 
But somewhere, the voyage ended, 
Waits a harbor fair and splendid, 
Holding peace and rest to free 
All the swimmers of the sea. 




Jf ebtuarp 26 



A GOODLY QUEST 

Never had a rumpus yet 

Did n't find some good behind it 
If I took the care to get 

In the mood where I could find it. 
Anyhow, whate'er the score, 
Good is well worth lookin' for! 




o? IjM o Qfiztr 

jfebruatp 27 



FULFILLMENT 

I can't be what Shakespeare was ! 
I can't do what great folks does ! 
But, by Ginger, I can be 

Me! 
And among the folks that love me 
Nothin' more 's expected of me ! 




Jf ebruarp 28 



THE NEARER STEP 

To-day was bleak as it could be, 
And yet my heart doth sing, 
Because you see 
It marked to me 
Another step toward Spring. 

Another step toward roses fair, 
And smiling skies above, 

And bird-notes rare, 

And in the air 
The sense of new-born love. 




GOOD OLD MARCH 

Cometh March all brag and bluster, 
Full of frills, and fuss, and fluster, 
But for all his blatant bragging 
And his cold and windy nagging, 
I can see he 's only fooling, 
And his threatenings are drooling. 
For beneath his noisy keening 
Coming Springtime is a-greening, 
And I know despite his ruffing, 
Good old March is merely bluffing. 
He is only rudely trying 
Thus to comfort Winter, dying. 




THE BETTER WAY 

When fellers wantin' things comes by 
I don't get mad and hit 'em, 

But sort o' grin and see if I 
Can't up and help 'em git 'em. 



frnw^i 




o? [im o Qfvur 



Ulard) 3 



AS TO HEAVEN 

Heaven is a place so fair 
That no grief can enter there. 
Well, for me I '11 choose a place 
Where, when Sorrow shows his face, 
There 's enough of Love about 
Handily to drive him out. 

Give me this, and 'spite the ill, 
I shall have my Heaven still! 




A PHILOSOPHER 

I hain't ez smart ez some folks is, 
That fact is plain to see, 

But then there 's other folks in biz 
That hain't ez smart ez me ! 

And so, without no ondue pride, 
I 'm feelin' sorter satisfied. 




THE SHUT-IN 

I 'm anchored fast — no trips for me 
To distant lands across the sea, 

And yet I find a certain sort 

Of comfort lying safe — in port! 




iHlartlj 6 



PRIDE OF BIRTH 

Now pride of birth is very fine ! 
'T is nice to come of noble line, 
And boast a lofty family tree 
Decked with a famous ancestry ! 

I 'm mighty glad to think I 've had 'em 
Straight back as far as Father Adam. 
Though here and there, I rather fear 
The links are not exactly clear, 
The fact remains that I am here. 
And that is proof enough for me 
That I belong upon the tree. 




MY FACE 

When fust I started on life's race, 
I war n't allowed to choose my face. 
But as I ran along my way, 
I found, by smilin' every day, 
I sort o' gave this phiz o' mine 
A kind of different design 
Than 't would ha' had if I had went 
A-yowlin' full o' discontent. 

I 'm wuss than plain, but I can keep 
My ugliness from strikin' deep! 




THE SONG-CURE 

If, when things are going wrong, 
You will hum some little song, 
Just a soft and tender bit 
With some melody in it, 
Things may not go right again, 
But 't will sort of ease the pain, 
And you '11 find in your reverse 
Naught 's so bad it can't be worse, 




MEMORIES 

When with tears your eyelids glisten 
Just a moment pause, and listen; 
Call to mind some childhood day 
When your tears were kissed away, 
And within your heart you '11 hear 
Once again the voice of cheer 
Bidding you forget your fear! 

Blessed is the memory 
Of the voice of sympathy! 




COMFORTING 

I kain't do much success to win, 
But one thing 's sure, through thick and thin 
I kin do what I kin! 




cJL (int o y Qktr 

iHarti) 11 

CHEER UP! 

Are you moaning o'er your lot 
'Cause of things you haven't got? 
Well, look here — I 've made a list 
Of the things perhaps you 've missed: 
Motor car stuck in the mud 
With a dull and sickening thud ; 
Three months note come due to-day 
Tax-bill overdue to pay; 
Patent leather shoes so tight 
You can't tell the left from right; 
Measles, mumps, and oh, the gout! 
Stomach slowly giving out; 
Vermiform appendix all 
Ready for the Doctor's call; 
And a thousand other knocks 
Straight from old Pandora's box! 
Think of these a little while, 
And it may be you will smile 
As you contemplate your lot, 
And the things you have n't got ! 




Jfflard) 12 



IN THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION 

To beat temptation when you meet it, 
Turn on your beat and simply beat it! 




o? (int o 1 Qutr 



ifWarcf) 13 



WINGS AND WINGS 

I envy not the lark, for, though he flies 
Upon the morning air up through the skies, 
Shut out is he forever from the dells 
Wherein the poets weave their magic spells 
That send the Soul of Man, as if on wings, 
On flights of Spirit, far from earthly things. 
'Twere well to soar the heavens, but for me 
The Spirit Realm on Wings of Poesie! 




JWard) 14 



THE WITTY MAN 

" Brevity's the soul of wit! " 

So the Sages do report, 
Which is why I smiling sit 

When my purse is running " short." 
He that laughs at poverty 
Hath a wit that pleaseth me. 
'T is the sort beyond a doubt 
That some day will help him out! 




THE BLUSTERER 

March all bluster threatens much 
With his loud and windy touch, 
But when one looks underneath 
All this showing of his teeth, 
All his howl and braggart jeer, 
There 's not really much to fear. 
'Neath his growling all the while 
There 's a sort of springy smile ! 




A NEW THOUGHT 

I rather think to get somewhere 

I '11 so direct my labors 
That I can meet those standards rare 

I set up for my neighbors. 
I wonder, as I think it o'er, 
I never thought of that before ! 




A ST. PATRICK'S DAY RESOLVE 

Just as St. Patrick drove the snakes 

Away from good old Erin, 
I think I '11 drive out all the fakes 
That with my soul play ducks and drakes: 
Intolerance of friends' mistakes, 

A habit harsh of jeerin'; 

Unkindly thoughts ; a tendency 

To sham and empty blarney; 
A lack of ready sympathy 
For those in need of charity; 
Until my spirit freed will be 

As green as fair Killarney! 




THE LURE AND THE LAUREL 

Opportunity, they say, 

Knocks upon the outer door; 

Beckons us to come away 
Unto Fortune's golden shore. 

Many rise, and many go, 

Where his beckoning shall lead, 

Finding at the last but woe 
Waiting on the daring deed. 

Others, heedless of his call, 
Heedless of his golden snare, 

Stay within, and after all 

Find the richest laurels there. 




SfL Qm o Qieer 

jfllarcJ) 19 



WISHING AND HOPING 

We can't get our every wish 

By the act of wishing, 
But e'en though there are no fish 

There 's some fun in fishing. 

So when things are far from bright, 
And I 'm merely groping 

Through the darkness of the night, 
There is joy in hoping. 




A LIVING SONG 

Writin' music ain't for me. 
I ain't strong on poetry. 
But as on my way I go 
Through a world of joy and woe 
Amblin' steadily along, 
I can make my life a song. 




SfL Qm d Qutr 

ifMatcti 21 



THE PLAY 

I like to think of Shakespeare's line 
That " all the world 's a stage," 

And we 're but actors in a fine 
Old Drama of our Age. 

It makes me feel that when the plot 

Too complicated seems, 
My troubles on the whole are not 

Much more than passing dreams. 




iWarcf) 22 



THE SPEEDER 

Croesus honks along the way 
In his motor bright and gay, 
Speeding at a fearful pace — 
Strained the look upon his face! 

Wonder if he races on 
Hoping that perchance anon 
Somewhere, somehow, he will find 
He has left his cares behind? 

Better plodding on the road 
Than a car with such a load! 




JWatd) 23 



OUT OF THE STORM 

Your tears flow fast because of woe 
That in your heart you 're fearing? 
It matters not ! Just let them flow, 
The rain falls hardest, don't you know, 
A moment ere the clearing? 




Jttarcf) 24 




WORK A-PLENTY 

Time hangs heavy on your hands? 

Not a thing to do? 
Boredom at your doorway stands 

Glowering at you? 

Seek the highway with your heart 

Filled with tenderness 
For the vagrom souls that smart 

'Neath some bitter stress. 

You will find a task indeed 

Waiting for you there, 
Where by acts of loving heed 

You can conquer care. 



fmw( 



o? (int (j Qfutr 



DISARMED 

Met my enemy to-day — 
Wustest one I ever had. 

Shook his hand in genial way; 

Smiled upon him bright and gay; 

Nary bit did I betray 

I was on to him, and say — 
Gee ! But he was mad ! 




iHarcf) 26 



A USELESS CURE 

The Sages say there 's cure for love 
To make a man forsake it. 

By all the stars that shine above 
I vow I '11 never take it ! 

Love 's not a plaint, pray rest assured, 

Of which a wise man would be cured! 



ffWj 



cJL (int <j Qutr 

jWarcf) 27 



A HINT TO REFORMERS 

In trying to reform mankind 
And cure him of his sinning 

First tackle Self — perhaps you '11 find 
It makes a tough beginning! 




jWarcf) 28 



M 



WELL ENOUGH! 

You pine for a day that is longer — 
Some forty-eight hours, you say? 

You think you 'd be better and stronger, 
If that were the length of your day? 

Not so! Why, dear friend, you 'd be fifty 
Years old when you 'd reached twenty-five 

Your legs would be shaky and shifty; 
Your heart would be scarcely alive. 

It may be I 'm not very sage, sir, 
But this is the solemnest truth: 

I 'd rather be young in my age, sir, 
Than old in the prime of my youth! 



IN RAINY WEATHER 

When rains drench the hillside and darken 

the vale, 
And all your good spirits grow weary and 

fail, 
When every bright prospect seems drowning 

in woe — 
Pretend you 're a plant, and it 's making you 

grow! 




AN IMPRESSION 

Thought I saw a snowflake falling 

Through the air to-day — 
It was but a white moth calling: 

" Spring is on the way! " 
More of winter I was fearing 

As it passed along. 
But my heart was shortly cheering 

With its happy song — 
Sometimes troubles seem to call 
That are n't troublesome at all ! 




EPITAPH TO MARCH 

Here lies old March, 

As stiff as starch. 

He snowed a lot. 

He blowed a lot. 

He smiled a bit. 

He riled a bit — 

But in the end 

He was my friend, 
Because of his bequest to me 
In days, all of them blest to me 
For service and for helpfulness 
To self and fellows in distress. 




april I 



ALL FOOL'S DAY 

When April comes with smiles or tears, 
Whiche'er they be, I have no fears. 
I know that when she smiles 't is best 
To go for rainy weather dressed; 
And when she weeps her tears foretell 
A very pleasant sunny spell — 
'T is not for naught in wisdom's schooling 
Her birthday's set aside for fooling! 




OMENS 

Can't ye see the ice-chains lettin' go the river? 
Can't ye feel the touch o' Springtime in the 

shiver ? 
Can't ye see the sunbeams climbin' in your 

room 
In the early mornin', killin' off the gloom? 
That 's the way with trouble, that 's the way 

with care. 
Like a wintry tempest with its icy snare 
All will disappear in spite their threatenin' 
If your heart you '11 ope an' let the sunlight 

in! 




THE INIMICAL TRUTH 

When some old foe of mine doth rise to say 
Some disagreeable thing to raise a row, 

I do not grieve and give my anger play; 
I know full well he means it anyhow. 

An ounce of truth spoke by an enemy 

Is worth a ton of friendly flattery ! 




THE JOCUND MILESTONE 

When I am walking on the Road 

Of Trouble or of Worry, 
And feel the pressure and the goad 

Of an incessant hurry, 

I think of an old milestone gray 
One time I found when lost on 

An old New England country way, 
Which read: " six smiles to boston. j 

Ah, that 's indeed a pleasant thought 

For those of us who travel : 
Along the Road of Pain there 's naught 

That " Six Smiles " won't unravel! 




ON GROWLING 

Feel like growlin' ? Growl ! That 's right ! 

Take your woes and list 'em. 
Keep on growlin' day and night 
Till you Ve driven all the spite 

Wholly from your system. 




EASTER 

When the Easter bells are ringing, 
And the early birds are singing, 

Who can think of care? 
When the budding flowers are springing, 
And their fragrances are flinging 

On the silky air, 
Ope your heart and sing away! 
All your worries fling away! 
Let the glad chimes ring away 

Sorrow and despair! 




REACTIONS 

There are lots of satisfactions 
In the poet's rhymed reactions. 
When he wants a rhyme for " tearful " 
Nothing goes so well as " cheerful." 
When he writes a verse on " trouble " 
Nothing helps him more than " bubble "; 
And the phrase " a night of sorrow " 
Plainly hints " a bright to-morrow." 
So with us, when trials vex us 
Let us think of " solar plexus," 
And with naught of hesitation 
Hand it to the visitation. 




THE GAME 

Yes, the earth is but a sphere, 

Round as it can be, 
Flying on year after year 

Through eternity. 
As for me, I Ve got to take 

What comes, woe and all; 
If I thrive, or if I break, 

Keep on playing ball! 
Pleasure, pain, or bliss, or care 
May my game be on the square. 




april 9 



GALA DAYS 

Now here 's a hint for us this morn : 
Each day, somewhere, somebody 's born, 
And so of course we can't gainsay 
Somebody's birthday comes to-day. 

Wherefore, 't would be a pleasant plan 

To make it joyous as we can, 

And celebrate it just as hearty 

As though we really knew the party ! 




AS MIGHT HAVE BEEN 

When things are at Sixes and Sevens 
It cheers me to think, in my bother, 

They might be at Tens and Elevens, 
And that is some worse than the other. 




MY SKIES 

I find my skies 
In Love's dear eyes, 
And when they dim 
With sorrows grim 
'T is joy at # least to sympathize. 




THE IMMORTAL THING 

The ships of Troy, her gloried van 

That sped the main with pennons high, 

Have passed beyond the ken of man 
And in some grave forgotten lie. 

The songs of Homer, one-time sung 
By minstrels of an ancient art, 

Still live, and living rank among 
The treasures of the human heart. 

He buildeth best who builds a song 
To fill the soul of man with joy. 

Let song be ours, and ships belong 
To those who seek the bays of Troy ! 




0pr« 13 



THE BLUES 

Are you blue? Well, now, see here, 
That 's no reason you should mope. 

Skies are blue, and it is clear 

Their deep azure speaks of hope; 

Then the bluebird with his song 

Pours out cheer the whole day long! 

When the blues come on, you '11 find, 
If you '11 try with half a mind, 
There are several kinds of blues 
Lying round for you to choose; 
And your day will be a bright one 
If you but select the right one! 




HOIST! 

Mr. Trouble called to-day. 
Met him in a genial way. 
Bade him take an easy-chair, 
Told him all I knew of Care. 

Told him how one time a chap 
Dandled long on Fortune's lap 
Came a cropper mighty sad 
Losing everything he had. 

Told him what the very poor 
Very often must endure 
From the wolves that so beset 
Poverty, with pain and debt. 

Talked away about distress 
For two hours, more or less, 
When poor Trouble with a roar 
Plunged headfirst out through the door. 




MY MEED OF WEALTH 

I do not care in wealth to shine — 
I want enough for me and mine, 
With something over in my store 
For the poor stranger at my door. 




WHAT USE? 

Now what 's the use, my friend, of hating, 

And some, pet enemy berating? 

Life 's all too short for life's best laurels, 

Much less to waste on empty quarrels. 

I find it leaves more time for living 

If I begin each day forgiving. 




Tfi 



SkU^coj 6 f ttv>year 

Spril 17 




UNDISMAYED 

He bent beneath care's heavy weight — 
Yet still he walked with shoulders straight! 
In soul appalled by debts piled high — 
Hope still flashed brightly in his eye ! 
Purse low, and prospects drear and dull — 
Within his heart beat strong and full, 
And though his path was hedged with rue 
He held his Courage firm and true! 




ffL (int <S Qutr 



u 



AS TO PEDIGREE 

'T is fine to come of famous pedigree, 
And boast a most distinguished family tree, 
Provided that the tree is adding height, 
And not a shell to feed a parasite. 

'T is sad to see a relic of its fruit, 
A stunted sapling on a noble root. 
Sometimes I think when such come into view 
I 'd rather be the seed from which it grew. 



THE WORLD 

Sometimes the world 's a dreary place, 

And we 're inclined to doubt it, 
And then the question we must face : 

What would we do without it? 
Upon the whole, despite its drear, 
We should be happy to be here, 
And maybe when it seems most sad, 
It 's up to us to make it glad. 




HOPE ON, HOPE EVER 

What bodes your lack of beauty? 

Don't let that vex your mind. 
When True Love comes on duty 

He 's almost always blind; 
And many and many a woman 

Whose eyes were full of light, 
Has doted on a human 

Whose visage was a sight! 




THE FAILURE 

Now failures are, as I conceive, 
No things to weep o'er or to grieve, 
But beacon lights to warn us when 
We sail too near the rocks again; 
Or, better, spurs to urge us on 
To surer enterprise anon. 

He is a sage who scales the heights 
On failures made by other wights, 
Provided in his quest for pelf 
He 's not already failed himself; 
And he who hasn't — well, I guess 
He '11 never know how sweet success 
Can be to him who from a crash 
Emerges stronger for his smash. 




THE FOUR ESSENTIALS 

There is no treasure-trove 

Without true Love. 
There is no solid wealth 

That 's minus Health. 
There 's no prosperity 

Sans Sympathy, 
And Life itself 's a wraith 

If lacking Faith. 




THE ANSWER 

" What 's the good word? " 
Now that 's a phrase I truly love to hear, 

And when 't is heard, 
I always smile and promptly answer 
" cheer! " 
It holds more warmth and genial glow 
Than any other word I know. 




AS TO SELF-MADE MEN 

I Ve met, O many a self-made man — 

I guess about six hundred odd; 
But none of them were better than 

The old-time species made by God. 
Indeed, if I were asked I 'd say, 

Though most were first-class imitations, 
The old-time pattern still holds sway 

In spite of modern innovations. 




WORK FOR ALL 

What's that sigh upon the wind? 

Some one with a troubled mind. 
What's that groan upon the street? 

Some poor wight with weary feet. 
What's that bent form on the mart? 

Wanderer with a broken heart. 
Who 's that weeping on my stair? 

Some one with a load of care. 
Who 's that knocking at my door? 

Only these, and nothing more. 

And I sit the whole day through 
Wishing I had work to do! 




HELD FAST 

There is a chap whose high regard 

I 'm always going to keep. 
I do not care a jot how hard 

Or rough the path, or steep, 
As long as he believes I 'm right 

I '11 keep straight on the way 
Despite the critics who delight 

To harry and to flay. 

For if I lose that chap's respect 

No matter what I do, 
My life will be completely wrecked, 

And covered o'er with rue. 
No praise of others could atone 

The loss of his acclaim, 
And e'en the honors of a throne 

Would hide a tinsel name. 

Who is he? Well, 'twixt you and me 
He is the chap I daily see 
O' mornings when it comes to pass 
I glance into my looking-glass. 




IN THE MATTER OF GOSSIP 

To gossip I 'd be more inclined 

If so be it were always kind. 

What could be sweeter than the labor 

Of spreading good news of your neighbor? 





3L [int o Qieer 

&prtl 30 



W 



THE SURE ROAD 

The surest rud to Happiness 
Thet I Ve diskivered yit 

Is wantin' nuthin' more ner less 
Than what I 'm sure to git ! 




M©^orf^ear] 



jfflap I 



MAYTIME 



Dawns the May with sunny hours, 
Blossoms white, and fragrant flowers. 
Morning air is sweet with song; 
Nature smiles the whole day long; 
And the stars that shine by night 
With their soft and friendly light 
Shedding radiance through the sky 
Bid us turn our thoughts on high. 

Who can dwell on sorrows gray 
In this glad time of the May? 




THE LIGHT 

All day, all day, I follow the light, 
O'er city, and hill, and dale; 

From rosy dawn to the jeweled night 
I joy in the golden trail. 

And when at the dusk the light runs on 

And passes beyond my ken, 
In Dreamland's valley I rest anon 

And find the bright sun again; 

Or if it be that I cannot win 
The sleep that banisheth care, 

I turn my vigilant eyes within, 
And lo, the glad light is there! 



fWWi 



jfflap3 




THE GARDEN 

My heart and mind 

I daily find 
A sort of fertile garden fair, 

Where I can play 

And work each day 
In hope of prizes rich and rare. 

I have no doubt 

If I weed out 
The thorns of malice and untruth, 

And plant the seeds 

Of helpful deeds, 
I '11 reap the Rose of Lasting Youth ! 




WHAT EACH MONTH BRINGS 

What each month brings I '11 keep within my 

heart 
And bid it in my nature do its part; 
And as December brings the joys of Yule, 
And tells of Man's good-will, and Love's 

own rule, 
So shall the May, with bird-song and with 

flower, 
Transform the world into a vernal bower 
That rests at peace beneath a fragrant spell, 
And whispers to my soul that all is well. 




jjfflap 5 



NEVER TOO LATE 



Let 's not be weeping in the sight of wrong, 
Nor careless either, greeting it with song, 
But if we can, the minute that we sight it, 

Hie forth and right it ! 
Or if perchance we have no power to end it 
'T will do no harm to see if we can't mend it. 




SCRATCH 'EM! 

Don't brood on fancied wrongs — just take 

and scratch 'em. 
By too much brooding you may chance to 

hatch 'em! 





PROFIT AND LOSS 

His health was lost; 

His wealth was lost; 

And yet he gained. 

For Love remained 

And proved itself 

The best of pelf 

By standing by 

When Care drew nigh. 
Life holds no loss, or galling chains, 
Despair gets little for its pains 

If Love remains! 




FINANCIAL NOTE 

It seems too bad thet I can't borrer 

Enough to tide me o'er to-day, 
But when I think o' thet to-morrer 

That 's sure to dawn three months away, 
It sort o' soothes my present sorrer 

To think I shall not have to pay 
The sums I 'd owe if I could borrer 

Enough to tide me o'er to-day. 




BETTER THAN WINGS 

'T were nice to fly 

Up through the sky, 
And get away from rushing crowds; 

And mid the roar 

Of storm to soar 
Far up above the dripping clouds. 

But all the same, 

I love the game 
Down on the level of the street, 

And 'stead o' wings, 

My spirit sings 
For sturdy legs and steady feet. 





MONEY 

Money comes, and money goes. 
Where it goes to, goodness knows; 
Feeds us, clothes us, pays the rent; 
Sometimes borrowed, often lent; 
Makes a pleasant, jingly sound; 
Rather nice to have around. 
But it never kept a friend! 
Broken hearts 't will never mend. 
As a substitute for Right 
Frequently it heaves in sight; 
But it is a substitute 
That holds mighty bitter fruit. 
Misers hoard it; tyrants rule 
When they use it for a tool ; 
And for want of it the roar 
Of the Wolf comes to the door. 

I will take all I can get 
Since it holds me free of debt. 
I '11 respect it for its power 
To relieve some pressing hour, 
But for worship — well, for me 
God forbid that that should be ! 




A CHOICE 

If so be you 're inclined to jeer 
And greet all things with cynic sneer, 
Remember, pray, the Owl, whose hoots 
For merry song he substitutes ; 

Who hates the light, 

And lives by night; 
And loses all the hours of fun 
He might be having in the sun. 

If you desire to be an Owl, 

Why, go ahead and hoot and scowl, 

But don't complain if through the night 

You miss the pleasures of the light. 



ppwq 



oJL Qm o (Jut 



r 



Ma? 12 



THE TOWN-CRIER 

Now that 's a chap I 'd like to see 

In every last community. 

A sort of Care-and-Trouble-Keeper, 

A salaried, official Weeper, 

Who 'd come around when things were trying 

And for a small fee do our crying ! 



fWW'i 



Sacfi'Day 6 tkyear 



THE BETTER PLAN 

Some men make memoranda of their foes, 
The names of folks they 'd like to give the 
hook; 
But as for me, along with other woes 
I hold their names, and let my grouches doze, 
Hid in a small " Forgetterandum Book." 

The world 's been blest no doubt by mem- 
ories, 

But when the things remembered fail to 
please, 

Than Memory o'er strong, 't were truly 
better 

Were we to cultivate a good Forgetter ! 



OVER YONDER 

Over yonder, over yonder, 

See the toiling millions wander 

Seeking prizes rare! 
See them in the depths of worry, 
In the hurry and the flurry 

Overcome by care ! 

Over yonder, over yonder — 
Is it all worth while, I ponder, 

As I 'm sitting here 
In the midst of fruitful labors, 
With the love of all my neighbors 

Filling me with cheer? 

Over yonder, over yonder — 
Is it best to go? I wonder! 

Golden is its lure, 
But with all its dangers lurking 
Would I not be rather working 

Where Love is secure? 




jWap 15 



NOW 

I 'm not botherin' my head 
On the troubles that have sped 

Or may come. 
On the joys of Yesterday, 
Or upon To-morrow's way, 

I am dumb. 

Yesterdays or days to be 
They are all the same to me, 

Anyhow. 
I shall hold my vision true 
On the things that I can do 

JUST 

RIGHT 

now! 





ON A RAINY DAY 

What though the rain doth keep me in 
And spoils to-day past any doubt? 

A harvest rich it helps to win 

And brings the laughing roses out. 

So let it fall. The passing showers 
May serve to make a present care, 

But in its train the thirsting flowers 
Will sweeter make the morning air. 




THE WISER COURSE 

No word of wrath shall come from me 
When things go wrong upon my beat. 

I '11 hold my tongue from growling free 
And do my kicking with my feet ! 



fWWi 



THE WISE BIRD 

" Chirrup ! Chirrup ! " The small bird sang 

his song 
The while I brooded on some fancied wrong, 
And straightway from the depths I turned 

and steered up, 
And as his lyric bade me do, I cheered up. 

The Sage is wise, and yet I never heard 
More wisdom than I got from that small 
bird! 




GARDENING 

Have you got a garden where you gather 

wealth 
Of the kind that comes from an abundant 

health? 
There are other gardens full of human plants 
Waiting for the worker looking for a chance ! 

Do you weed your garden, freeing it of woe 
That the tender blossoms may more freely 

grow? 
There are human blossoms choking mid the 

weeds 
Of the stress of sorrow, and their daily 

needs ! 

In the human garden — that 's the place to 

work! 
That 's the place where dangers to the 

flowers lurk! 
In the city byways, in the slums of dole, 
Where there might be sprouting roses of the 

soul! 



fmw^i 



cJL (int o Qxttr 

JWap20 



GREETING 

What you are or where you be 
Does n't matter much to me. 
If your heart is heavy o'er 
Some distress you can't ignore, 
Here 's my hand, and all my heart, 
Ready now to do their part 
In fraternal sympathy — 
Does n't matter what you be ! 



EVER FRIENDLY 

When comes some dull and dreary morn 
When you 're deserted and forlorn, 
By strangers all begirt, alone, 
With not a friend to call your own, 
Seek out some breezy garden-close 
Where bloom the lily and the rose. 
Their friendly nod, so frank and free, 
Will ease your lack of company. 




OUT OF BONDAGE 

He rises most who rises from his bond. 
He bravest is who knoweth not despond. 
To break the shackles of a pressing care 
Calls for a strength and for a courage rare, 
And life the sweeter is for all its pains 
To him who 's nobly risen from his chains. 



jfWPI 



THE SOLAR SYSTEM 

'T was well arranged that on spring days 

The sun should very early rise 
On all the Maytime sweets to gaze, 

And on her glories feast his eyes; 
The while when things are bleak with snows, 

As in the winter is their fate, 
He stays in bed and warms his toes 

Until an hour somewhat late. 

1 guess I '11 make his system mine, 
And sort of doze in face of Care, 

But when there 's Joy upon the line 
I '11 early rise and take my share. 




o? (inc o (Jut] 

JWaj>24 




COMPARATIVE DIET 

If Robin Redbreast knows such bliss 
On such a diet as is his, 
How much more blissful is our lot 
Upon the bill-of-f are we Ve got ! 
If he can sing his tooral-ay 
Upon the worms that come his way, 
I sort of think one strawberry 
Should get an anthem out of me. 



ifWap 25 



TEARS 

Now what are tears but showers sent 
To ease the heart by sorrows pent? 
And what are showers but the play 
That leads us to the greener day? 
To know them not, would be, I fear, 
To dull the sweetness of our cheer, 
And hold us all unknowing of 
The deeper, hidden joys of Love. 




IS 



SI [mi o Qutr 

JHaj>26 



K 



THE SONG OF THE BROOK 

Ah, the little brooklet! Merrily it sings 

As its way it windeth on to mightier things; 

Over crag and bowlder; through the dark- 
ened flume; 

Never stops to murmur thoughts of care and 
gloom. 

I will heed the lesson as my path I ply, 
Past the Crags of Sorrow, 'neath a darkened 

sky, 
And with song eternal hold the Faith it 

brings 
That I too am moving on to mightier things ! 




0Lty27 



THE HEART OF A BOY 

I give you my word I am fifty to-day, 

And many 's the trouble that 's lurked on my 

way. 
Misfortune and failure have each done their 

part, 
And bitter the tears that have welled in my 

heart. 
But faith in my God, and the love of my kind, 
And smiles, whether wistful or not, in my 

mind, 
Have held me at fifty as full of true joy 
As ever you '11 find in the Heart of a Boy ! 



|W{ 




o? Qm o' Qieer 



iUtap28 



RENEWAL 

When overburdened with the cares 

That all your peace of mind destroy, 
Give up your shop and all its wares 

And play that you 're once more a boy. 
Go out into some grassy track, 

Forget the barter and the dollar, 
And lying flat upon your back 

Just whistle, sing, or yell, or holler. 

There 's nothing helps us more in ruth 
Than such renewals of our youth. 




COMPENSATION 

When folks pass by and kind o' sniff and 
sneer 

Becuz I hain't got inter high Society, 
It sort o' fills my sperrits up with cheer, 
When noticin' the starchy duds they weer, 
An' all their other hifalutin' gear, 

To think Society hain't yit got inter me ! 




MEMORIAL DAY 

Is there war within your heart 
With its lashing sting and smart, 

Leaving you undone? 
Think of them that bore their part 

Back in Sixty-one ! 
Do your drooping shoulders bear 
Crosses of such black despair? 
Does your Spirit bend below 
Such a weight of weary woe 
As befell that mighty host 
In the din of battle lost? 

For the Blue, and for the Gray, 
Wreathe your laurels on this day, 
Thanking God your present cares 
Hold no sorrows such as theirs ! 




WHY NOT? 

Considerin' the loveliness that round about 

us lies, 
Why not dwell on the roses 'stead o' cussin' 

out the flies? 




RICHES 

Now Croesus, he hath bonds and stocks 
Securely locked up in his box; 
And Dives hath no end of lands 
On which his marble palace stands; 
And Midas hath a magic touch 
That turns to gold all he can clutch. 

But when it comes to sun and moon, 
And all the joys of dawning June; 
The songs of birds in yonder tree, 
The merry sparkle of the sea; 
And true love always standing by — 
Who calls them wealthier than I ? 




THE PROOF 

Do you doubt that you shall be 
Blest with Immortality? 

Glance about you at the bowers 
Filled afresh with reborn flowers! 

Heed the leaves that reappear 
From the death of yesteryear! 

Watch the grasses in the mirth 
Of a glorious rebirth ! 

Think you that in God's great plan 
New birth is denied to Man? 

Man alone — is he to be 
Shorn of Immortality? 

'Mid these tokens full of cheer 
Does n't seem much room for fear! 




JUST A HINT 

When Trouble comes a-howlin', and a-knock- 

in' on your door, 
Just worry all ye need ter, not a single atom 

more! 




CONSERVATION 

I never give others a piece o' my mind, 
Because as I live on I not only find 

That scolding don't pay, 

But day after day, 
Amid all the chaff and the wheat I have sown, 
I need all my mind to fight faults of my own. 




IN SORRY PLIGHT 

To owe nobody anything? Well, that is not 
for me ! 
'T would take away, I rather fear, quite 
half the joy of life. 
I like to think of all the debts in loving 
sympathy 
I owe to those whose tenderness has eased 
me of my strife. 

It brings a glow into my heart to think of all 
I owe 
To sturdy friends, who, when amid the 
cares of life I grope, 
Refresh me with their precious stores of love 
to kill my woe, 
And for the sting of sorrow substitute the 
sweets of hope. 

He is indeed in friendless plight who hath no 

creditor 
And does not know the joyous task of paying 

off the score ! 




THE VACANT CHAIR 

Have you a vacant chair 

Somewhere? 
Let it be filled by Memory 

With visions fair 
Of scenes that used to be. 
Within its soft embrace 

Once more retrace 
The well-beloved form of one 
To other realms passed on. 
Live o'er again the happy hours 
That strew your yesterdays like flowers 

Along a sunlit way 
That neither wither nor decay, 

And bless that vacant chair 
For standing there ! 




3Tune 7 



THE PEACE LOVER 

When there be seeds o' trouble 'round, 

And all the soil is fertile, 
I never make the slightest sound, 

But shut up like a turtle. 

I never cared for craps o' weeds, 
Ner fancied much the thistle, 

And when it comes to warlike deeds 
I think I 'd ruther whistle. 




THE JOY OF DISCOVERY 

I 'm glad that I don't know it all, 

Whichever way I turn. 
I greatly fear that life would pall 

With nothing more to learn. 

It brightens much the dreary way 

To wonder what will be 
The brand new thing each brand new day 

In passing teaches me. 




SOME COMFORT 

Folks complain I hain't done nothin', and 
perhaps they 're right, by Gum ! 

But I 've never done nobody, and I guess 
that 's goin' some! 




cacH^caj 6 'ti&jtar 




Hfuue 10 



AN OBSERVATION BY THE WAY 

I Ve noticed as I Ve passed along 
Amid life's rush and flurry, 

That anger never righted wrong, 
And care grows fat on worry. 




3hute 11 



THREE WISHES 

If some good fairy came to me 
And said she 'd grant me wishes three, 
I 'd make the first " a heart a-thrill 
With pity for my neighbor's ill "; 
The second, " strength to do my part 
To bring peace to his troubled heart "; 
And third that " I should have the mind 
To be of service to my kind." 

I would not ask for love or gold, 
Or laurels woven for the bold, 
For in that sort of human pelf 
I 'd rather win them for myself. 




DOWN BRAKES! 

Now don't go pushing Time too fast! 

Why should you wish your days to hum? 
You '11 find youth all too soon has passed, 

And hoary-headed age hath come. 

Let days run slow as e'er they please, 
And thank your stars they linger on. 

Who lives too quickly seldom sees 

Their sweetness till, alas, they 're gone ! 




FISHING 

All the world 's a fishin' pool, 
And within its waters cool 

Lie all sorts of fishes. 
We can catch most any kind 
That is suited to our mind 

'Cordin' to our wishes. 

We can land a mess o' woe 
Any time we wish to go 

After trouble anglin'. 
We can land no end of care 
In the waters everywhere 

On the hooks of wranglin'. 

We can fill our basket up 
Like an overflowin' cup 

With a mess beguiling 
If we bait our fishin'-hooks 
With good cheer, and pleasant looks, 

Sympathy and smilin'. 




WRINKLES AND WRINKLES 

There 's wrinkles, and wrinkles, and still 

other wrinkles, 
Some coming from frowns and some coming 

from twinkles; 
Let mine be the kind when old age cometh 

by 
That show a warm heart through the depths 

of the eye ! 




COMING 

I 've never seed a mornin' yit 
When I expected nothin' 

Thet if I 'd jest git up an' git 
Has failed to bring me suthin'. 

Does n't really matter who yer 

Are, there 's suthin' comin' to yer ! 




THE JOY OF GIVING 

Who 's never known the joy of giving 
Has never known the bliss of living. 
It matters not the style of gift; 
A bit of gold to ease some shift, 
Or just a smile, a sunny rift 
Of sympathy, some care to lift 

From shoulders worn and bending; 
Some little act befriending; 
A gentle whack 
Upon the back 
To hearten up some troubled wight 
Whose steps have wandered from the light 
These all are gifts well worth the giving 
For those who seek the joy of living. 
Just go some day 
Upon the quiet 
Out on the way 

My friend, and try it ! 




A SOVEREIGN REMEDY 

When, tossing on my couch at night, 
Old Worry comes my rest to ruin, 

I stare at him with all my might 

And tell him that " There 's nothin' doinV 

" I 'm very busy now," I say. 

" To put you off fills me with sorrow; 
But you must come some other day — 

Say ten o'clock, perhaps, to-morrow? " 

I find that by this style of chaffing 
It is n't long before I 'm laughing, 
And when he sees my smiling lips 
Why then, of course, old Worry skips. 




A PHILOSOPHIC VIEW 

I have n't a horse or a motor-car, 

Nor even an old-time bike, 
But I Ve got two legs that carry me far 

Whenever I wish to hike; 
And I 've noticed this, as my way I peg 

On over my destined course: 
There 's never a man who would swap one leg 

For motor, or bike, or horse ! 




ON THINKING GLADNESS 

Who thinks December all the day 
Will find life's road a cheerless way; 
But he whose mind is pinned to June 
Will traverse meadows lit by noon. 

If so you doubt this little rhyme, 
Try thinking roses for a time I 




lune 20 



A THREAT 

I 'm going to seek my foe to-day, 
And when I meet him on the way, 
No matter who is with him there, 
With head held high up in the air, 
I '11 take the glove from off my fist 
To give free play unto my wrist, 
And then, as face to face we stand, 
I '11 — offer him my outstretched hand! 




AS TO TEMPER 

To lose their temper now and then 
Can do small hurt to angry men, 
Provided 't is not found again. 
Lost temper 's worth quite all it cost 
If it will stay forever lost. 




THE GLAD SILENCE 

I met an enemy fierce to-day, 
And he cussed me out till my hair turned 
gray; 

But my heart is light 

As I think to-night 
Of the things I thought and didn't say! 




AN OBSERVATION 

I 've noticed in getting along on the track, 
In seeking life's laurels and premiums high, 

A man can do more with a slap on the back 
Than ever he does with a punch on the eye. 

It makes little matter the style of the cribs 

You set out to crack in the face of your 

foes; 

More prizes will come from a dig in the ribs 

Than ever were won by a whack on the 

nose. 

In public, in private, whatever your field, 
Wherever you labor, in hamlets or towns, 

A far richer profit life's harvests will yield 
To mortals whose smilings outnumber 
their frowns. 





3fune 24 



NEVER MIND! 

When troubles blare 
I always find 

It pays to care, 
And not to mind. 




A TREASURY 

There is a spot within my heart 
That I have set with care apart, 
Wherein each day it pleases me 
To store some pleasant memory. 

And hence it is, when days are gray, 
I go as lightly on my way 
As though I had a private sun 
To draw upon ! 




WORKING IT OUT 

Got a grouch on somebody? 

Go out in the wood. 
Pick out some old sturdy tree, 

Give it to him good. 

Speechify the things you 'd say 

If the chap was there. 
Pile it on in fiery way 

Fit to scorch his hair. 

Roar and ramp, and tear around; 

Go it good and hot. 
Fill the air with wrath and sound, 

Sending him to pot. 

Then when later he comes by 
Meet him with a twinkling eye, 
And with cheery greeting say, 
" Howdy do, to-day? " 




THE SUN'S GIFT 

A freckle? Yes! That's where the warm 

sun kissed me — 
I 'd not have liked it if the orb had missed 

me. 
On beauty powders go and spend your 

shekels ; 
For me I '11 take the sunshine and the 

freckles. 




Sidi'Day o } &tytar 

3Ftme 28 



FELLOWSHIP 

I have n't much money to help out your 

care — 
I need all I 've got, and there 's little to 

spare; 
But if 't will help out when your troubles 

look black 
Just count upon me for a slap on the back! 




June 29 



THE ACCOUNTING 

May I be like a sturdy tree 

That steadfast stands, whate'er may be; 

Aspiring to the starry heights, 

With ne'er a thought of days or nights, 

Save as they bring me growth and mind 

To be of service to my kind. 

And at the last, if so I fall, 
And reach the hour that comes to all, 
When the accounting must be made 
Of all my deeds, may it be said 
None ever needed to be hid, 
And what I could do, that I did! 




IN CLOVER 

Are you down in the dumps like a deaf and 

a dumb one? 
Then go out on the way and do something 

for some one — 
It don't matter for whom — you will feel 

when it 's over, 
Like the bumblebee feels, when he 's out in 

the clover! 




^n 



HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

If there 's trouble comin' to yer, 
Let me wish yer Happy New Ye'r. 
There 's no reason really why 
You can't start one in July. 
As for me, I go my way 
Startin' new years every day. 




KINDLY RHYME 

Rhyme bids us in our troubles 
To think of them as " bubbles "; 
And when we meet despair 
To pause right there and " share " 

And that 's why I 'm 

In love with rhyme ! 




NO TIME 

I have n't the time for the deeds of love 

I really would like to do. 
I have n't the days for the treasure-trove 

Of ambitions high and true. 

I have n't the years for the service great 
I dreamed in the days of youth; 

And so I have n't the time to hate 
When the goal I seek is truth. 



fWW~{ 



A DECLARATION 

» 

To-day they say 

Is Independence Day, 
And I for one am going to celebrate 
With declarations of my free estate 

From tyrannies I hate : 
I 'm going to throw off evil passion's yoke, 
And join the ranks of those untrammeled folk 
Who 've freed themselves from fear and use- 
less care, 
From slavish selfishness; and loosed the snare 
Of captiousness, suspicion, cynic sneers; 
Of pessimistic jibes and scornful jeers. 

A Freeman henceforth I, 

Beneath a smiling sky 
That sings of love, and hope, and confidence 
In all men's good intent and God's benefi- 
cence ! 




TOO GOOD TO LEAVE 

When you Ve grown weary of this life, 
And would escape its dreary strife, 
Just pause and think of how you 'd run 
If some one chased you with a gun ! 

At worst you '11 find it still so good 
You would not leave it if you could. 




3*\v 6 



1£75 



THIS FUNNY WORLD 

" It 's funny," said I, as I growled away, 
" How all seems possessed to go wrong to- 
day." 
" If that is the case," said my Better Half, 
" And it 's really funny, why don't you 
laugh?" 

And I — I laughed at her little conceit, 
And a lemony world straightway turned 
sweet. 



WHAT'S THE USE? 

Now what 's the use o' worryin' becuz ye can- 
not see 

Your way to bein' suthin' thet ye was n't 
meant to be? 

The clam can't be a billionaire, a saddle- 
horse, or ram; 

He cannot be a marmalade, an omelette, or 
a ham; 

He cannot be a candidate, a rose, or pillow- 
sham, 

But don't ye see thet he can be a derned fine 
clam? 




IDLENESS AND LEISURE 

A goodly part of man's distress 
Arises from sheer idleness; 
While victory, in fairish measure, 
Comes from a proper use of leisure. 

'T would helpful be if all men knew 
The difference between the two. 




A CONTRAST 

When you feel you 're out, and you fear 

you 're down, 
And your outlook 's dark, and your friends 
all frown, 

Just turn your gaze 
On the child who plays 
On a sun-baked fire-escape in town! 

I miss my guess when you see that tot 
If your woes don't seem but a trifling lot! 




FORBEARANCE 

His voice was sharp, his notes were flat, 
But just the same, for all of that, 
He 'd song within, and there 's no doubt 
That though 't was harshly gotten out, 
And most unpleasant to the ear, 
His main intent was simple cheer. 
Hence I decided to forgive 
And let the poor old fellow live. 
No use to judge a mortal's heart 
By his unhappy lack of art! 




THE EVER-NEW 

It may be there 's nothing new under the sun. 
It may be the great deeds are all of them 

done. 
But nevertheless there is plenty to do 
In making the old things all over anew — 
To bring a new strength to the arm of the 

weak; 
To bring a new warmth to the heart that is 

bleak; 
To bring a new outlook to those in despair; 
To bring a new joy to the spirit in care; 
To bring a new dawn to those shrouded in 

night; 
To bring a new faith to souls lost to the 

light — 
Were deeds quite as great as the deeds that 

were done 
When something lay new in the path of the 

sun, 
And, old tho' they be, are as fair to achieve 
As ever the love Adam offered to Eve ! 




LEND A HAND 

If you cannot lend a dollar to some chap who 
cannot pay, 

If you cannot place a quarter or a dime at his 
command, 

You can help him meet his troubles in a very 
simple way: 

Lend a hand! Lend a hand! 

If he 's trembling on the verges of some 
moral precipice, 

Or is facing some temptation you are sure he 
can't withstand, 

There *s a loan perhaps will save him from 
his ruin, and it 's this : 

Lend a hand! Lend a hand! 

Or perhaps he 's gone the limit, and is hope- 
less in his dole — 

Down and out, a moral wreck amid the drift- 
wood of the strand — 

It is then his need is greatest — for the com- 
fort of his soul, 

Lend a hand! Lend a hand! 





qA {hi o Qkar 

3\x\y 13 



A LITTLE CHAT 



Said I to Myself: " I can't believe 
The thing I can't understand! " 
" Hold on," said Myself, " and by your 

leave 
Let 's take this matter in hand: 
Do you understand how the sun became 
A daily torch full of luminous flame 
To lead the old world from the depths of 

night 
Out into a glorious realm of light? 
Do you understand whence the stars were 

borne? 
From out of what void the world was torn, 
Or whither it goes on its whirling race 
Through the uttermost lengths of an endless 

space? 
Do you comprehend in the smallest part 
The fathomless depths of a woman's 
heart — " 
" Hold on! " cried I to Myself. " Hold 

on! 
My faith 's returned, and my doubt is 
gone! " 







THE CERTAINTY 

Sometimes I cannot see 

How ills are good for me, 

And 't is my groaning plaint 

Most often that they ain't. 

But, all the same, no chill, 

No bit of Fortune's ill, 

In all this world of flurryin' 

Was ever cured by worryin' ; 

And when thro' dark we 're gropin' 

More light will come from hopin' 

Than ever came from mopin' ! 





£fL (int o' Qktr 



3Fulp 15 



JUST FOR TO-DAY 

I 'm going to give up sneerin' ; 
I' m going to give up jeerin'; 
I 'm going to give up sniffin', 
And let all " Ifs " go whiffin', 

Just for to-day. 
I 'm going to give up " tutting,' 
Let all my " Buts " go butting, 
And try a course o' smilin' 
To see what things beguilin' 

Come o'er my way. 




3JuIp.l6 



OUT OF THE DARK 

I Ve seen a field by sunshine so oppressed 
That all therein seemed withered and dis- 
tressed, 
And then a big black storm-cloud coming by 
Obscuring all the beauty of the sky 
Has left in passing on that selfsame scene 
A vision freshly lovely and serene ! 

No morals come from Nature — so they 

say — 
But as for me, I find them every day! 




o? (m <f Qieer 



3fu\v 17 



LONELINESS 



Alone? Well, even solitude is good 

If it be rightly used and understood. 

A man I know had never known himself 

Until at last he lay upon the shelf, 

And from that moment turned his talents 

loose, 
And saw his way to make himself of use. 



THE TREE 

I rather like a tree 
For company. 
It gives me all it has to give : 
The comfort of its shade, and helps me live 
Contented with my lot 
In just that spot 
Where circumstance decrees that I remain; 

And makes it plain 
That growth does not depend on change of 

scene, 
But on a temper, sturdy and serene, 
To make the best of things that lie 
Nearby; 
My goal not fixed, but ever upward to 
The glorious and everlasting blue. 




THE LITTLE SONG 

When trouble came and skies were drear, 
Although his soul was filled with fear, 
His heart within would softly croon 
A sort of cheerful little tune: 

Tara-diddle, tara-diddle, tara-diddle-deee. 

No matter what the trouble there 
It helped him over his despair — 
That little song within his heart, 
Devoid though it might be of art: 

Tara-diddle, tara-diddle, tara-diddle-deee. 

" No man," quoth he, " can really mope 

And find himself bereft of hope, 

If only as he walks along 

He '11 hum that simple little song: 

Tara-diddle, tara-diddle, tara-diddle-deee." 

So all together! Let it ring! 
Join in the chorus, all, and sing. 
Start with a will each new-born day 
With this, his care-dispelling lay: 

Tara-diddle, tara-diddle, tara-diddle-deee. 




SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE 

Sometime when you 're thinkin' that nobody 

loves yer, 
And life 's kind o' chilly, and every one 

shoves yer, 
Jest take for your comfort this hint I send 

to yer: 
There 's Somebody somewhere as would if 

they knew yer ! 




WEALTH 

I dreamed last night that I had stores of 

gold untold, 
And toward my fellow-men turned mien so 

cold 
They fled away, and left me to myself 
In a forlorn enjoyment of my pelf; 
And 'stead of joy amid that golden dower 
I found the prospect drab, and chill, and 

sour. 
I came to hate the dross, and when the dawn 
Awoke me, I rejoiced to find it gone, 
And in its place the truest kind of wealth: 
The love of all my neighbors and good 

health. 



ppwi 



THE HURDY-GURDY MAN 

The Hurdy-Gurdy Man some folks despise, 
But as for me, when darkened are my skies 
Much more than once some tuneful little air 
From out his barrel-organ 's eased my care; 
And I Ve rejoiced that he hath come along 
To soothe a grinding woe with grinding song. 





PROBLEMS 

Which came the first, the chicken or the egg? 
That is a question I shall always beg. 
I never vex my mind with points like that, 
But like a man of appetite stand pat. 
Come as they may, Egad, I 'm nothing loth 
To sit me straightway down and eat 'em 
both. 

We 'd all, I think, be happier than kings 
Were we to worry not o'er unimportant 
things ! 




3vl\? 24 




EACH TO ITS OWN 

Because I cannot fly 

No angry grouch have I; 

To birds I '11 leave the air; 
And joy that on the street 
Two fairly nimble feet 

Will take me anywhere. 

You '11 never see me weep 
Because I cannot sweep 

The depths as fishes free. 
To them I '11 leave the seas 
And all that in them is; 

The water 's not for me ! 

But here upon the land, 
With sweets on every hand, 

Contented with my lot, 
I '11 take what comes my way 
And thank God every day 

For troubles I have not. 




o? (int o Qmr 




lulp 25 



\\ 



AS TO OWNING THE EARTH 

Sometimes I 'd like to own the earth, 

And then the notion strikes my bonnet 
'T would cost far more than it were worth 

To have to pay the taxes on it. 
And on the whole I deem it best 

Instead of toiling hard to win it, 
To play I 'm just a welcome guest 

Enjoying all the good that's in it. 




lulp 26 



A HINT TO TIME-KILLERS 

I 'm sorry for the feller with a pocket full o' 

pelf 
Whose sole idee o' killin' time is killin' of 

hisself. 
Some on us has so little time I sort o' wish 

the cuss 
Who 's killin' it would let it live, and send 

it on to us. 




Sulp 27 



THE GOLDEN MOMENTS 

The dawn flings down a store of gold 
As wealth for him to have and hold 
Who makes each moment on its way- 
Serve some need of the passing day. 
A day 's not long, but when it 's reckoned 
Not by the hour, but by the second, 
It makes a mighty goodly store 
For getting things worth working for. 
In thousands, eighty-six are there, 
With just four hundred more to spare ! 



p^Wl 



£acfi ( Day 6 ^rf^mrf] 



3Wp 28 



NO EXCEPTION 

The flowers fade and pass away 
And then return another day, 
And fade, and pass, and as before 
Come back to life and joy once more; 
In all of which I seem to see 
The proof of Immortality. 
It cannot be in Nature's school 
Man 's an exception to the rule. 




TJf 



o? £int o' (Tfoer 

SlwlV 29 



M7 



FAITH AND THE FUTURE 

The thing that always puzzles me 
Is how this old world came to be, 
And yet it helps me hold a good 
Full faith in things not understood. 

As for the future, there 's no knowing, 
But all the same I 'm glad I 'm going; 
And when the waves to come I 'm breasting 
I 'm sure I '11 find it interesting. 




HFulp 30 



SAVING TIME 

Hain't got half the time we need, 
Friend o' mine, fer bein' glad, 

So I sort o' guess that we 'd 
Better quit a-gettin' mad, 
And bein' sad. 

Don't ye think we better had? 




fulp 31 



A VACATION THOUGHT 

Of all the hard tasks I Ve ever done 
The hardest I ever knew 

Is lookin' around to find the fun 
In nothin , at all to do. 




AUGUST 

Now comes a span of rare delights 
In gracious, star-eyed, summer nights, 
And tropic days that lure us far 
From where the busy markets are, 
And bid us joy in earth and sky, 
With all the gifts of Nature nigh: 
The woodlands peaceful, leafy lanes, 
The meadows lush with ripening grains; 
The music of the laughing rills, 
The noble beauty of tHe hills; 
The heavens blue, the silky air, 
And rest apart from scenes of care. 




A CURE 

Can't smile, my friend, because you 're blue? 
Well, here 's a little hint for you : 
Look on the heavens for awhile; 
The bluer they, the more they smile! 
When trouble overtakes you, why 
Pretend you 're just a bit of sky, 
And do 
As it does when it's blue; 
Look down on trouble and despair 
As calm as though they were not there ! 




MY SERVITORS 

When so the sun shines on my way 
And warms my path through all the day, 
Or when some tree with grateful shade 
Its service at my feet hath laid; 
Or when some river bears me on 
Into some harbor, and anon 
The moon and stars come forth at night 
To furnish me with needed light, 
And as in dreams at rest I lie 
Some zephyr sings its lullaby — 
What just complaint can mine e'er be 
With such attendants serving me? 



fmw'i 



CONTRASTS 

Beside my rose a thistle grew. 

Into my joys there entered rue. 

The rose seemed sweeter, and more fair, 

Contrasted with the thistle there, 

And strange to say, my joys likewise 

Seemed deeper, seen through tearful eyes. 




PRIDE IN HUMILITY 

I 'm but a cog in life's vast wheel 
That daily makes the same old trip. 

Yet what a joy it is to feel 

That but for me the wheel might slip ! 

'T is something after all to jog 
Along and be a first-class cog! 




SINGING SWEET 

The birds are singing in the wood 
Because they feel that life is good, 
And not a hint of care or wrong 
Disturbs the sweetness of their song, 
Though cares and wrongs they doubtless find, 
Each one according to his kind. 

For me, as on my way I plod 
Through wooded paths that must be trod 
With distant prizes to be won 
Beyond the glow of setting sun, 
Despite the vast perplexities 
That everywhere one looks one sees, 
'Spite heavy heart, and leaden feet, 
May I too keep my singing sweet! 




THE FRIEND UNCHANGEABLE 

Long years ago when I was but a lad, 
Once hurt and suffering, in spirit sad, 
I chose for friend a star up in the blue 
And in its kindly smile forgot my rue. 
The years have passed and friends have come 
and gone. 

I Ve tasted joy, and passed through seasons 

wan. 
Things counted on have failed me, and in 

tears 
I 've tried to drown my sorrows and my 

fears. 

But all the while, in happiness or pain; 
In moments of success, or efforts vain, 
That kindly star, unchangeable as truth, 
Has stood my friend, as in the days of youth. 




&ugu$t 8 



LILIES 

A lily in a window stood 

And looked out on the multitude. 

A child upon the pavement raised 
Upon the lily's beauty gazed. 

I looked upon them both and thought 
Of pure souls in such currents caught, 

And straightway set about to save 
The twain from perils of the pave. 

And now I find a store of cheer 
From out that deed of yesteryear: 

The child, a sturdy human he ! 
The flower a precious memory! 




^&<y d tkyear] 

8ugu*t 9 



ON A WARM DAY 

Yes, it 's pretty hot to-day, 
And my strength is waning. 

I don't like it, I must say, 
But I 'm not complaining. 

For you see a wish I made 
When the snows were flying 

Now, though overlong delayed, 
Nature 's gratifying. 

Wished warm weather 'd come along 

Back in February. 
Now I 've got it, good and strong — 

How our wishes vary! 



o? Qm o' Qktr 







gfagusit 10 



THE GREATEST JOYS 

Amid our sunny hours 
In quiet, fragrant bowers, 

Where roses bloom, 
And happy birds are singing 
Their measures sweetly ringing, 

Dispelling gloom, 

Let 's not forget those others — 
The Children of our Brothers 

In cities gray, 
Where trouble, toil, and sorrow, 
Are found to-day, to-morrow, 

As yesterday. 

The greatest joys of living 
Are found in freely giving, 

And paying heed 
Out of our present treasure 
In full and lavish measure 

To them in need. 



august 11 



SAVORLESS 

My diet 's largely bread and cheese, 
And water is the wine I quaff; 

My notion of a life of ease 

Is now and then to sit and laugh. 

Yet have I seen men highly crowned, 
Men feted, courted, sought by kings, 

Who, 'spite of laurels so renowned, 
Could not enjoy these simple things. 

Fame 's very sweet, and all of that, 
And with it doubtless comes delight; 

But after all life 's rather flat, 
If one has lost one's appetite! 




REJUVENATION 

To rise at dawn with no one else about; 
To tip-toe slyly off, all bare of shoes; 
To make the wood re-echo with my shout; 
To wade the meadows lush with dripping 

dews; 
To plunge head first into some limpid pool ; 
To lie upon some bank and scan the skies, 
Rejoicing in the early breezes cool, 
Forgetting all but what around me lies — 
In short, to leave behind the stress and care 
Of worldly complications with their pain, 
And spurred to song by drafts of morning air 
Just for a time become a boy again! 

Ah, what a plan in seasons of distress 
To ease the soul of all its weariness, 
And send it back into the busy mart 
Renewed in living strength to do its part. 




THE CHOICE 

I have seen a palace wall 

Hung with objects rich and rare, 
Beauty lavished over all; 
Yet about it lay a pall 

Just because love was not there. 

I have seen a sordid pile 

Made of ugly bricks that still, 
As I gazed on it the while, 
Seemed to be a living smile; 
Love sat by the window-sill. 

Proud estates in vast array, 

These indeed none would refuse, 

But when Fortune comes my way 

Offering her treasures gay, 

Love 's the first that I shall choose. 




cJL Qm o Qutr 

gfagust 14 



AUGUST HEAT 

The heat of old August some mortals despise, 
And look on it coldly with hate in their eyes ; 
But not so with me, 't is a thing I defend 
As like the warm glow in the heart of a 
friend. 







IN RESERVE 

Take the overfervidness of the summer day, 
Store it up within your breast, neatly packed 

away. 
Maybe in some coming hour, now all unfore- 
seen, 
It will serve to turn a gray, wintry prospect 

green, 
Or if not, just let it rest, of yourself a part — 
No man ever yet hath had too much warmth 
of heart. 



MY FRIEND 

When from the skies the rain torrential 

drops, 
My friend remarks: " Fine weather for the 

crops! " 

When from the East a chill wind loudly 
roars, 

He smiles and says : " Fine day to stay in- 
doors!" 

When from the sun the heat streams fer- 
vently, 
Says he: " Just right to sit beneath a tree! " 

And when skies hesitate 'twixt rain and shine 
He sits, and smiles, and softly murmurs : 
"Fine!" 

In short, whate'er the weather's style or 

whim 
Each day that comes is somehow " Fine " to 

him, 

With the result no matter what may hap 
By day or night he is a sunny chap ! 




9ugu*t 17 



AS TO BIRTH 

One pleasant thing I find upon this earth; 
We common folk may lack a noble birth, 
As lofty Ghibelline, or royal Guelph, 
But man's real berth depends upon himself, 
And once 't is won, more permanent 't will be 
Than windfalls dropped from some ancestral 
tree. 



IN STORMY WEATHER 

There 's wind ahead, and rocks about, 

And rough 's the sailing on the sea, 
But all the same amid the rout 

'T is joy to test the heart of me. 
There 's something in the tempest's blast, 

And in the current's knavish guile, 
Beneath the skies all overcast, 

That makes the sailing worth the while ! 




NOTHINGNESS 

A world without a future life? I can't con- 
ceive the thought! 

Each human soul the merest clod of clayish 
substance wrought, 

With nothing to aspire to, with nothing here 
to gain, 

With nothing rising higher than our pleasure 
and our pain? 

Just coming out of Nowhere for a little while 
and then 

To turn and go to Nowhere and sheer Noth- 
ingness again? 

There 's nothing in the notion, and your argu- 
ment, my friend, 

Refutes itself by leading unto nothing in the 
end! 




A CHEERFUL SOUL 

I know a mighty cheerful wight 
Who, though he stands in his own light, 
By o'er-hot days is ne'er dismayed 
Because he sits in his own shade ! 




augu*t 21 



M 



LOVE'S MINTAGE 

Who pays his debts in love and gratitude 
Will find when he has settled every score, 
Some Genius of affection hath renewed 
The treasure he hath paid from out his 
store. 
Indeed, he finds who strives love's gold to 

win, 
The more he pays it out the more comes in. 




IN PARTNERSHIP 

Out in the fresh, green wood 

'T is good to lie, 
Far from the multitude, 

And scan the sky, 
And think of all the things 

These skies have seen 
Since Time unfurled his wings, 

And life hath been. 

For, in despite your place 

Is lowly, still 
In life's achieving race 

Your place you fill. 
It somehow thrills the heart 

To rest and dream, 
And feel yourself a part 

Of God's great scheme ! 




PERENNIAL 

" There 's nothing new beneath the sun 
To soothe your jaded appetite? " 

Get out and get some good deed done, 
You poor, deluded, weary wight. 

No good deed yet hath failed to fill 

The doer's spirit with a thrill 

That 's just as fresh and full of joy, 
As when Methuselah was a boy. 




"OLD NEVER-MIND" 

" I-Don't-Care " is not my kind. 
I prefer old " Never-Mind." 
He 's the chap all full of song 
That in trouble helps along. 

" I-Don't-Care " 's a reckless chap 
Leading on to sure mishap, 
But dear " Never-Mind," the gay, 
Takes us smiling on our way; 

And when Trouble ventures in, 
Greets him with a sort of grin 
Of the kind that makes him guess 
He has got the wrong address. 







RELEASE 

By day I 'm held by chains 
That fasten me to toil. 

I have to work for gains, 
To win my share of spoil. 

But when the night hath come, 
And daily tasks are done, 

The chains so burdensome 
Are lifted, one by one. 

And over hill and dale 
On dreamy jaunts I fly; 

Right gallantly I sail 

Beneath the moonlit sky. 

And while my body worn 
Rests here in slavery, 

My soul, in dreams reborn, 
Rejoices to be free! 




MY WILL 

My fortune? Well, it comes to nil, 
But none the less I make my will : 
The earth, the air, the sea, the sky, 
And all the things that in them lie ; 
With love, and faith, and constancy, 
And hope, and human sympathy, 
And courtesy and kindliness, 
And all the qualities that bless, 
Wherever found, no matter where, 
Upon said earth, or in said air, 
Being of sound, disposing mind 
I herewith leave to all mankind, 
And hope they '11 use them just as free 
As though they 'd all belonged to me. 




NEVER FAILING 

At times when on life's sea 

Far from my course I Ve run, 
With clouds of misery 

To hide away the sun, 
A never-failing chart 

Tp lead me safely through 
I Ve found within my heart, 

With love the compass true. 








THE ECONOMIST 




RESIGNATION 

Clouds were piling in the west; 
Storm was come to be my guest; 
Vexed my spirit not the least, 
For I turned unto the east. 

Clouds were filling all the east; 
Thunderbolts their flash released, 
Yet my spirit was at rest, 
For I gazed into the west. 

East or west, whate'er the storm 
With its terrors multiform, 
Undisturbed I shall remain 
Till clear weather comes again. 




GOOD MORNING 

Whatever weather be a-borning 
'T is etiquette to say " Good morning! " 
And truly every morning 's bright 
Compared, at least, unto the night; 
So even though the day be wet, 
Let 's smile and cling to etiquette — 
" Good morning! " 




%_ 



TEACHERS 

I 've placed my troubles all apart, 

And studied them through tears of pain. 
And now I find each one a chart 
That tells me how with sturdy heart 
To meet them when they come again. 



fmw'i 



SEPTEMBER HUES 

Now comes September — - over all 
The tints of Summer and the Fall 
In gay and gladsome patchwork fuse 
To make a quilt of gorgeous hues, 
The which before the eye is spread 
To tell of joyous days ahead, 
And bring all glowing to the mind 
The lovely hours left behind. 
The gold, the green, upon the trees 
Reflect our hopes and memories: 
The golden hopes of days to be 
Mixed with the greens of memory! 




September 2 



AN APPOINTMENT 

Worry comes and says to me: 

" Guess I '11 stay and visit ye I " 

And I turn and answer then: 

" Guess ye '11 have to guess again, 

Ain't no room for Worry here; 

Come around some other year." 

" When ? " says he. Says I : " Wa-al, how 

'Bout a hundred years from now? " 




cJL Qm o Qutr 

September 3 



IRRIGATION 

Hain't complainin' of the wet, 

Rain, or trouble — no, by Jings! 
For ye see I can't forget 

Rain is good for growin' things; 
And when trouble 's round me flowin' 
I can feel my soul a-growin', 
Growin' like the ripenin' grain, 
All the better for the rain ! 




September 4 



UNWORRIED 

Like everybody else I would n't care 
If somehow I became a billionaire. 
A billion I am sure would e'er be found 
A tidy little sum to have around. 
And yet, I 'm satisfied without it, for 
'T would really be a sum to worry o'er, 
And while of course I never could refuse it, 
Without it I 'm not bothered lest I lose it. 




o? {jne. o Qieer 



September 5 



FORTUNE 

Don't suppose I '11 e'er be great 
Like the folks of vast estate. 
Don't suppose I '11 e'er be rich 
Like old Reddymun and sich. 
But one thing is sure as day 
As I walk along my way: 
I can pile up stacks of cheer 
Mined straight from the atmosphere 
That will make their stores immense 
Look like thirty-seven cents ! 




September 6 



THE WELCOME GUEST 

I 'm going to lead this life 

As though I were a guest 
Upon this ball of strife, 

And do my level best 
To order so each day 

That when my grip I pack 
My fellow guests will say 

They hope I '11 soon be back! 




g>eptemfcet 7 



NAME VS. FAME 

Do not really care at all 
For a lofty pedestal. 
Would n't give a cent for fame ; 
But I 'd like to win a name 
As a chap you 'd always find 
With an open, four-square mind, 
Who, whate'er the rout or revel, 
Always stood " upon the level! " 




&c(i ( Day d tfv>year 

September 8 



THE ASHES OF SUCCESS 




He travels fastest who travels alone! 

Kipling. 

Maybe 't is true that who travels alone 
Travels the fastest, but what of the goal? 

Who cares for speed when the end is a stone 
Void of the deepest of joys of the soul? 

Give me a comrade, a friend that will share 
All of the sorrows and joys of the chase! 

Give me a spirit to ease me in care — 
Little care I how retarded the pace! 

Prizes in solitude won, they are naught ! 

Loneliness holds all the letters of loss. 
Give me sheer failure in comradeship 
wrought 

Rather than isolate fame that is dross ! 



UL (he o' Qfutr 

September 9 



THE FRESH DEAL 

Now here 's a pack of twenty-four new hours ; 
Each one a card with undeveloped powers 

Placed freely in our reach. 
Let 's play them all face upward on the table 
And play the game, and see if we are able 

To take a trick with each ! 



September 10 



DUTY 

Yes, Duty is a friend of mine — 

On that it 's safe to bet ! 
But all the same, in rain or shine, 
I 'm going to " do him " good and fine 

At every chance I get! 




THE CARESSING HAND 

Glint of sun on shimmering tree, 
Glow of stars on land and sea; 
Light of day and glimmer of night — 
What are these but proof in sight 
Of the soft caress of a God of Love 
Sent from the Father's hand above 
Bringing to all His children here 
Hints of joy, and hope, and cheer, 
Of the final home that waits for all 
Beyond the gates celestial? 




^®<y d tkyear] 

September 12 



THE REAL THING 

It may be I am not the style 

Of feller fellers think worth while, 

But I 'm the feller that I be, 

And that 's the style o' styles for me; 

And what I am, that kind o' man 

I 'm goin' to be the best I can, 

And when I 've finished up the job 

No one can say that I 'm a snob 

For makin' out myself a saint 

When everybody knows I ain't! 

Whate'er I be in joy or rue, 

I 'm goin' to be it through and through. 




V 



THE HOUSE IN ORDER 

I admit I am not comely! 
Fact is I am more than homely, 
But behind my phiz so fey — 
Well, it 's not for me to say 
What you '11 find inside o' that 
Lurkin' here beneath my hat, 
But I 've tried to make the place 
Somewhat better than my face: 
Orderly, and clean, and neat, 
Sunny, cheerful, fresh, and sweet. 
Beauty 's sure worth having, but 
Joy can dwell inside a hut, 
And I Ve found true happiness 
Hid within the plainest dress. 




fizcfi'Day 6 'tHeJear] 

September 14 



AS TO CHAINS 

Our chains are what we make 'em! That 's 

a truth 
I Ve learned in passing on to age from youth : 
A burden full of woe and misery 
If wrought of service done reluctantly; 
A golden gift of richest treasure-trove 
If every link is forged in fires of love! 




3L Qm o y Qxttr 

September 15 






THE FIXTURE 

Anchored fast! Can't get away! 
Same old prospect every day. 
Same old vistas, same old sights; 
Same old days and same old nights. 
Awful fate ? Well, I don't know. 
Some days maybe it seems so. 
Other days I seem to be 
Like a sort of green old tree, 
Full of sap, and growing high, 
Ever upward to the sky; 
Joying in both sun and rain; 
Taking pleasure, bearing pain, 
As they come, days dark or glad — 
Really, that is not so bad! 




September 16 



i 



THE PEACEFUL SOUL 

I won't fight with any one, 
Does n't matter what he 's done. 
Quarreling I never find 
Suited to my style of mind. 

Either I am wrong or right. 
If I 'm wrong, why should I fight? 
If I 'm right, pray tell me how 
I 'd be more so for a row? 




o? Qnt c> Qutr 

September 17 



THE OLD-TIME JOKE 

When my plans go wrong, and my schemes 

go broke, 
I try to remember some old-time joke 
That made me laugh in the days gone by 
Ere ever I knew what it was to sigh; 
And I laugh, and laugh, 
At the ancient chaff, 
And deep of the cup of the past I quaff, 
And ere I know from those youthful dreams 
I gather new plans, and more hopeful 

schemes ! 





September 18 f 



in*: 



v 



AN EVEN BREAK 

I never heard of Socrates, 
Or old man Alcibiades, 

Or other learned Greeks. 
There 's really nothing that I know 
Of Epictetus, Cicero, 

Or similar antiques. 

But really I don't care a hang 
Because I never knew that gang 

Of chaps that used to be, 
For when it comes right down to that 
I '11 wager any man a hat, 

They never heard of me ! 



f^Wl 



o? Qnt o' Qfiztr 

September 19 



^r 



AS TO FOLLY 

Are you feeling melancholy 
O'er some little act of folly? 

Don't you mind a bit. 
All the wisdom of the Sages 
In the long chain of the ages 

Has been based on it. 

Folly 's but the finger-post 
When upon our way we 're lost, 

Groping all around, 
Pointing with a jocund air 
To the paths that lead us where 

Wisdom 's to be found ! 



fmw^i 



SicfcDoi/ 6 'tfv>year\ 

September 20 



AN" EASY LOAN 

We all know just how mighty fine 't would be 

If we had one more hand to help us on 
The work we have to do, and how we 'd see 
Our pathway clear unto the glorious dawn 
Could we command 
That selfsame hand. 
Wherefore, my friend, whene'er your eye 
espies 
A toiler pressed for what his toil procures 
In need of that third hand to win the prize, 
Just pause upon your way — and lend him 
yours ! 




o? (ine d Qutr 

September 21 

V" 

THE NEW LOVE AND THE OLD 

A certain Sage I know takes satisfaction 
In calling life a " chemical reaction," 
And love with all its joyous efflorescence 
An " evanescent bit of effervescence. " 
If he 's sincere when he shall wed he 'd 

oughter 
Choose for his bride a glass of soda water, 
And be content for pleasures and for 

troubles 
With simple drafts of frothy, sudsy bub- 
bles; 
And when he dies into a Heaven pass 
That 's just a tank of supernatural gas ! 

But as for you and me, my friend, let us be 

ever found 
Believers in the old-time love that makes the 

world go round! 




September 22 



THE GOOD WORD 

A good word spoken in the morning 

Is one the wise are never scorning. 

However bright or drear the day 

It cheers us ever on the way, 

And if by chance we do not seek it, 

Let it be ours at least to speak it. 

Who knows but that 't will prove the seed 

To ease some brother in his need, 

And swerve him from some pathway, where 

The end is ruin and despair? 




o? (im o Qwtr 

September 23 



THE CARGO 

The cargo of my ship, my friend, 
Is love and tenderness 
For all men in distress. 
Give me your order, and I '11 send 
Your share by wireless. 

As for the bill, 
Just pay it in good-will, 

Terms, C. O. D. 
That 's good enough for me. 



5 



September 24 



THE LEGIONS OF YOUTH 

Let the young men come 

With clatter and hum, 
And hands for the job that 's to do ! 

Let 's never feel sad, 

But rather be glad 
For spirits so youthful and true. 

New tasks for the world 

Are daily unfurled 
In seeking the ultimate truth. 

New tasks to be done, 

New goals to be won, 
Demanding the powers of Youth. 

So let us be glad 

For the lass and the lad 

Now passing us fast in the race, 
And welcome with glee 
The strengthful trustee 

God sends to step into our place I 




1W 



September 25 



TO THE TOILER 

When tasks are hard upon the upward slope 
That is the time that calls for cheer and hope. 
'T is when the summit 's reached and all 

seems clear 
'T were well to ope the heart to thoughts of 

fear. 

So courage take, as on the rocky road 
You upward toil, nor bend beneath your load. 
Fear not the dangers imminent and grim — 
He 's far worse off who 's naught ahead of 
him! 




lkfi$aydtfv$mr\ 

September 26 



THE OPEN DOOR 

I have no slightest fear J:hat I shall find 
My Heaven shut when I shall reach the 
goal, 

For Heaven were no Heaven to my mind 
If it were closed to any human soul. 

'T is in its all-embracing openness 

Its glory lies, with welcome glad within 

Relieving with God's mercy the distress 
Of them who bend beneath the weight of 
sin. 




QL (int o Qwtr 

September 27 



A FUTILE CREED 

Look here, my friend, with all your song and 

dance, 
And all your " scientific " circumstance, 
In which you try to prove the Universe, 
And life within it merely luck, or worse, 
The whole beginning and its ending pent 
Within the hazard of some " accident," 
Just take the sun, the moon, the stars we see, 
With all their clock-like regularity — 
Can you believe that all this consonance 
And certainty so real are based on chance? 

I don't 

And won't ! 
I could n't if I would, 
And what is more, I would n't if I could ! 




September 28 



SUCCESS 

Met a man to-day 
Who, most people say, 
Is a great success, 
Nothing more nor less; 
But — 
Ne'er a smile upon his face, pallid was his 

cheek, 
And his wan lips quivered when he tried to 

speak; 
Could n't laugh and could n't sing as he 

walked along; 
Children made him nervous with their merry 

song; 
•Looked with dark suspicion on his fellow- 
men — 
Thought they 'd come to rob him of his gold 
— and then 

I says, says I, 
As he passed by, 
" If that 's success, why when I dine 
Just mix some failure in with mine ! " 




o? fine, o' Qfiwr 

September 29 



THE RETORT COURTEOUS 



If some one says that you 're not any good, 

Or some such pleasant thing or other, 
Just smile as though you had n't understood, 

And call him "Brother!" 
That 's quite the same as calling him " an- 
other " 
And saves a row, 
And what *s the use of rowing, anyhow? 



September 30 



AS TO TALK 

When things within the kittle 
Git bilin' pretty hot, 

Talk slow, and mighty little, 
But make it say a lot. 

You bet your bottom dollar 
The meanest grub in reach 

Is when ye come to swaller 
Unnecessary speech! 




©ctober t 



CHILL OCTOBER 

They do you ill who call you chill 

October. 
To me you thrill with sheer good-will. 
Your raiment, far from sober, 
Is bright and gay, 
And cheers each day 
With prospects full of gladness 

That turn the mind 

To thoughts of joyous kind, 

And drive away all sadness, 

For everywhere we look, we find 

The harvests rich of labors done 

Beneath the Summer's warming sun. 




fiu£®<y d tfityew 



October 2 



THE REVERSIBLE PROVERB 

" Be good and you '11 be happy.'* 

Yes, that 's well understood. 
But don't forget, old Chappy, 
That other proverb snappy: 
Be happy and you '11 be good! 




THE DIFFERENCE 

The Pessimist is he who sees 
In clouds naught but distress, 

And in their opaque mysteries 
Discerns mere inkiness. 

The Optimist admits the cloud, 
And yet his glance pursues 

The misty rifts that are endowed 
With iridescent hues. 




MOVING ON 

The body 's but a tenement 
In which we dwell awhile, 

On daily labors mostly bent, 
Mixed with the tear and smile. 

And when we move away we go 
Some say to Nothingness, 

But as for me, while I don't know 
Precisely the address, 

I 'm confident that I shall win, 
If so my labor 's good, 

A dwelling place secure within 
Some finer neighborhood. 




IN THE SERE AND YELLOW 

Now here 's a withered leaf from off an 

oaken tree, 
Escaped from out the sheaf of summer's 

greenery. 
'T is old, and all the green hath faded from 

its gown, 
And in the autumn keen its garb is sombre 

brown. 

Yet when some sportive breeze inviteth it to 
dance, 

How eager 'tis to seize the gay and joyous 
chance ! 

How merrily it twirls and gaily pirouettes, 

And ever onward whirls, forgetful of re- 
grets ! 

Here 's hoping that in age, e'en as the sere 
leaves do, 

Our feet may trip the stage in dancing meas- 
ure too ! 




EPHEMERAL WOE! 

What has become of the worries of Noah? 

What has become of the woes of Job? 
What has become of the trials sore 

Hid underneath King Solomon's robe? 

Where are the cares of Charles the First? 

Where the tears that Niobe shed? 
Where are the troubles of parching thirst 

Tantalus bore in the ages dead? 

Where are the griefs of the long dead 
years — 

Priam's, Ulysses', and Jonah's and all? 
Lost in the streams of forgotten tears, 

Dead, gone, and buried beyond recall ! 

Gone, O ye Sufferer! Gone for aye, 
Just as your troubles will fade away! 
Peace is eternal, but trial and fear 
Pass to the vales of the yesteryear! 




A PLEASANT SIGHT 

I Ve seen full many a pleasant sight 
That filled my spirit with delight: 
Green hills, the broad sweep of the sea, 
The flame of some autumnal tree 
Like some great torch athwart the sky, 
The love-light in a lover's eye. 
But none more glad I ever knew 
Than that which flashed across my view 
When, sitting on the floor to-day 
I saw two merry wights at play, 
A grand-dad full of gleeful joy 
A-playing marbles with his boy! 




THE BEST OF BREWS 

If you would quaff a brew of joy, 
A mixture fine without alloy, 
Pour milk of human sympathy 
Into a cup of chari-tea, 
And share it with that needy wight 
Who happens first to heave in sight. 
I miss my guess if it is not 
The finest brew you ever got! 




October 9 



FRIENDS AND BROTHERS 

Why folks complain of loneliness 

Is strange to me, I must confess. 

Why, every brook, and every tree, 

And every twinkling star I see, 

Hath something good to say to me ! 

If you would find a comradeship 

That through the years will never slip, 

Be friends with all the stars of night, 

Greet all God's creatures with delight — 

The breeze that blows, the bird that sings 

The seas with mystic murmurings. 

The stranger on the highway too 

Is brother unto me and you, 

In that great family a part 

Whose home lies in the human heart! 




October 10 



STRANGE LOGIC 

Hev ter laff when fellers say: 
" Ain't no Heaven, anyway." 
Makes life seem a foolish joke 
Endin' in a whiff o' smoke — 
Like a-sailin' on the sea 
'Thout a port ahead o' ye. 
Hain't no logic in a claim 
Heaven 's jest an empty name, 
And fer all yer earthly stewin' 
Nature's answer 's " Nothin' doinM " 




October 11 



THE PEACEMAKER 

For quarreling I can't deny 

My liking 's rather slim, 
And if somebody passing by 
To pick a fight with me shall try, 
I '11 simply thump him on the eye 
Before I '11 fight with him — 
And ere my blows shall cease 
I '11 win him back to peace. 




THE GREAT TO BE 

Every drop in yonder river 

Flows into the mighty sea 
With a message to deliver 

From the Hand of Mystery. 
Think you that these drops of water, 

Thus become a mighty whole, 
Hold a mission great, while naught a 

Hope remaineth for the soul? 

I believe, and I affirm it 

As each drop is to the sea, 
So the soul, whate'er you term it, 

Is unto the Great To Be ! 
To a mighty Whole Eternal 

Flows the human tide alway, 
Ready for the tasks supernal 

In the bright celestial day. 




DOUBTS 

Rather like a good hard fight 

On a point of doubt; 
It is really such delight 

Just to knock it out. 
Doubts are helpful, seems to me, 

When the truth you seek, 
Pointing out with clarity 

Where your faith is weak. 





&r/i©m/o'^eyear)( 



October 14 



MY CHOICE 

* 

Yes, I 'd like brains, and wisdom truly great, 
And vision keen to choose my path aright. 

I 'd wish to be in questions of the State 
A man to lead my fellows to the light. 

In short, I 'd serve, and hope sagaciously 
To meet each day's demands as they arise; 

But better far than these pray grant to me 
The heart to ease the woe that round me 
lies. 



IN A HEAVY BLOW 

Wind 's a-blowin' awful out — 
Sort of hurricane, I guess — 
Nothin' to feel bad about — 
Ruther good thing, more or less, 
Seein' wind, for all its blare, 
Ain't no more 'n good fresh air ! 




(©ctofcer 16 



ONLY A TEST 

Cheer up, old Pal ! Ain't ye doin' your best? 
All of these troubles is only a test 
Set for your strength for to settle for sure 
How much or little your soul can endure. 

Keep on a-smilin', and workin' away. 
Prizes are sure for to come by some day, 
Long as ye keep on a-doin' your best 
Grinnin' and workin', whatever the test! 




A PLEASANT TASK 

About the nicest task I know 
Is goin' out 'most any day 
To find some feller full of woe 
A-walkin' on his troubled way, 
And if he 's full o' wrath an' bile 
To make him smile. 

Or if perchance tears dim his eyes, 
Because of grief or some distress, 
To help him from his sorrow rise 
Unto the heights of happiness — 
In other words, if he is sad 
To make him glad. 

There 's many a way to turn the trick 

For human brothers in their need. 
Some pile the humor on too thick, 
And failure waits upon the deed. 
The best and surest recipe 
Is sympathy! 




WHEN TEMPESTS RAGE 

When tempests rage upon the way, 
And all the winds are wet and high, 

Mind well those doctors wise who say 
'T is best to keep your tootsies dry. 

But when the tempest in the soul 

Doth ramp, and roar, and harshly storm, 
He best escapes the lash of dole 

Whose heart with love and cheer is warm. 




0ttobtx 19 



THE FREE AGENT 

If trials hard pursue you and your heart is 

steeped in woe, 
Be thankful you 're not Jonah in the days of 

long ago. 
If by misunderstandings you are wearied and 

distressed, 
Rejoice you were not Moses by old Pharaoh 

oppressed. 
If debt and dearth have snared you in the 

warp and woof of dread, 
Be glad you were not Charles the First, who 

settled with his head. 
And if you 're chained to some chill post of 

daily slavery, 
Look skyward, and not post-ward, where 

your spirit may be free. 
The limbs of man, his feet, his hands, may 

be enmeshed in dole, 
But steel was never fashioned yet to chain 

the human soul. 




THE NEWBORN DAY 

If life seems dark, and dreary, and forlorn, 
Just rise betimes and see the new day borne 

Upon the wings of morn, 
And from the pageant of that lovely hour 
Gain courage fresh, a sense of new-born 

power 
To grasp the gifts of Opportunity 
The young day sets before you lavishly, 

All free ! 
Thrust woe behind you, and let yesterday 
Its own indebtedness in trouble pay, 
And with the smiling sun keep pace and tread 
The path unto the goal that lies ahead. 




THE GOODLY THING 

The sands are running through the glass. 
The hours, days, and swift years pass, 

And carry us along. 
They bring us joys, they bring us tears; 
They bring us hopes, they bring us fears; 

They bring us grief and song. 

A meed of pleasure and of pain. 
Our share of sunshine and of rain, 

Unsparingly they give; 
And we, despite our plaint of woe, 
Cling close to them, because we know 

It has been good to live! 




October 22 



THE SPUR 

Troubled, are you? Well, why not? 

That is just your mortal lot. 

If you had n't any care 

You 'd have lost a goodly share 

Of your portion of this life 

Which is blent of peace and strife. 

Peace alone would leave you soft, 
Nerveless for the climb aloft, 
While the wholesome flick of woe 
Sets your pulses all aglow, 
Makes you grit your teeth and vow 
You will conquer anyhow! 




October 23 



THE DALES AND BROOKS 

Waste not thine eyes alway on books, 
But seek the Autumn dales and brooks, 
And in their music and their glow 
Find surcease from thy load of woe. 
Or if perchance thy path shall lie 
Where ne'er a brook runs gaily by, 
Where dales are not, stand not apart, 
But contemplate the throbbing heart 
That pulses in the rivers free 
Of hurrying humanity; 
And seek the vales where suffering 
Holds others 'neath its shadowy wing, 
And there forget thine own despairs 
In helping others carry theirs.! 




October 24 



THE BETTER PORTION 

Success I Ve loved, and failure I 've not 

spurned. 
From one gained wealth, and from the other 

learned. 
Perhaps in this hath failure won the prize; 
Who 's rich is merely rich, who 's learned is 

wise! 




o? Qm o Qxetr 



October 25 



SOUL-FREE 



Life's millstones hanging round my neck 
May hold my body here in check, 
But ne'er a millstone e'er shall be 
To hold my soul in slavery! 
Where it would soar it soars away, 
Far back, perchance, to yesterday, 
Or far ahead to some fair shore 
The distant future holds in store; 
Into the depths, unto the heights, 
It speeds, and drinks deep of delights 
That seem the greater for the pain 
Of body in the throes of gain. 
Let body moan its slavery, 
And groan because it is not free, 
But in my soul the songs I '11 sing 
With which the Hills of Freedom ring. 



A BAD INVESTMENT 

" You cannot borrow cash on cheer! " 
So saith the critic, with his jeer. 
But say — see here — 
If you should swap your cheer for cash, 
You 'd very shortly come to smash. 
The cash you 'd spend, and you 'd be found, 
The day when payment-due came round, 
The victim of an empty bubble 
Who 'd merely swapped his cheer for trouble. 
A bad investment, seems to me, 
Unless you 're fond of misery. 




October 27 



CARE-PROOF 

The really truly Me 
Is not the thing you see, 
But just an Am that hides 
Way down in my insides; 
And there it sits and dreams, 
And formulates, and schemes, 
And lets old trouble roar 
Outside the care-proof door, 
As mad as anythin' 
Because he can't get in. 




fincfti) to/ 6 tfay } ear 



0ttobtx 28 



A SURE CURE 

For a cure for coming wrinkles, 
Here 's a recipe quite simple: 
Turn your frownings into twinkles, 

And each wrinkle to a dimple. 
Try this method 'fore and after 
Every meal, well-mixed with laughter; 
Blithely, gaily, 
Do it daily, 
And the wrinkles you are fearing 
Won't be long in disappearing. 




AN AID TO TOIL 

If there 's no music in my work 

To help me on to overcome it, 

I '11 get some tune myself, nor shirk 

The pleasant task that 's mine to hum it. 

It may not make a dull job breezier, 

But I opine 't will make it easier 

To hum that tune 

From morn till noon, 

And thence till eve 
Shall come, my labors to relieve. 




(October 30 



ALL HALLOWE'EN 

Cometh Hallowe'en to-night 

With its ghosts and mystic thrills. 

Some are ghosts of past delight, 
Some are spirits of past ills. 

Let us joy in bygone sweets 
That our memories retain, 

And who ghosts of evil meets 
Let him free his heart of pain — 
They 're but spectres, gaunt and vain, 




LIGHT UP! 

The Jack-o'-Lantern that I sing 
Is but a " punkin-headed " thing, 
Yet with what joy it seems to grin 
When it doth hold a light within ! 
What genial thoughts it doth inspire 
When glowing with that inward fire! 

So let it be with you and me 

When things go " punkin-headed " ! See — 

As on your way you blindly grope 

How all 's transformed when lit with hope ! 

And hope, that blessing past compare, 

Is just as cheap as God's free air! 




Jlotoember I 



NOVEMBER GIFTS 

November days with crispy air, 
And nipping mornings come apace, 

And smiling Nature everywhere 
Presents a kindly sort of face. 

Frost-diamonds cluster round her brows, 

A scintillating coronet; 
And from her over-brimming mows 

She pays the harvester his debt. 

The garnered grain she heaps up high, 
Reward for him who 's used her well, 

And Fortune's gifts right lavishly 
She scatters over hill and dell. 

Her treasury she opens wide, 

And bids us share the gleaming wealth 
That lies in view on every side 

In corn, and coin, and rugged health. 




iHobemfoer 2 



HUGGING TROUBLE 

This nursing of trouble and hugging of woe 
Is quite the most futile of things that I know. 
If you 'd be a nurse or a hugger, I pray 
Go forth from your corner, and out on the 

way, 
And there find a chance for some deed to be 

did 
In hugging and nursing some motherless kid. 




■v 



jfrotoember 3 



UNDAUNTED 

Once out upon a lonely way 
Upon a cold and wintry day 
I saw a small bird tempest-tost, 
And sore beset by chilling frost, 
Now hither blown, now hurried there, 
By rushing currents of the air, 
A picture full of sad regret, 
That worried, winged thing; and yet 
He 'd light betimes upon some tree 
Where his green playground used to be 
To rest his wearied little wing, 
And there, despite his woe, he 'd sing! 
He 'd sing the only song he knew. 
His note was clear, his note was true, 
And then back to the fight he 'd fly 
Undaunted, blithe, and bright of eye! 




3L [int o Qfietr 

jfrobember 4 



TIME'S SAVINGS 

He who gives to-day full measure 
Finds his yesterdays a treasure 
That no woes that overcome us 
E'er can take completely from us — 
Wealth secure, and full of blessing, 
That is truly worth possessing. 




jfrotoember 5 



WISE FOOLISHNESS 

When some rocky path ye tread 
Do your talkin' with your head, 
But when sympathy is due 
Let your old heart speak for you. 
Who knows? Maybe some distress 
Can be cured by foolishness 
Better than the wisest plan 
Ever yet devised by man. 




o? {hi e> Qxztr 

Mobtmbzv 6 



YOUTH 

Youth is lovely. Youth is fair. 
Youth hath such a bonny air, 
And I love it when it glows 
With the color of the rose 
On the cheek of maid and man 
In the heyday of life's span. 
But youth 's in its sweetest stage 
When within the heart of Age 
Still it makes the sere day bright 
With its ever-golden light. 




J^obember 7 



RAPTURE 

Withered leaves are dancing, 
With the breezes prancing. 
Harvest mows are smiling 
With their stores beguiling. 
Zephyrs swift are chaffing 
With the brooklets laughing. 
Autumn's stars are beaming 
Through the crisp night gleaming. 
Birds are southward winging 
Full of joyous singing. 
Hill, and vale, and river, 
In the sunlight quiver. 
Thrilling with thanksgiving 
O'er the joy of living. 

Guess I '11 try to capture 
Some of all this rapture. 
Nature must prepare it 
For Mankind to share it! 




j&obember 8 




J^otoember 9 



AS TO CERTAIN TACTICS 

" Fight fire with fire." Yes, that 's effective, 
But careful be of your objective. 
You cannot cure a quarrel by " quar'ling," 
Nor thread a snarl by simply snarling. 




THE USED-TO-BEE 

Of all the bees that hum around 

The best of all to me, 
Whose honey 's sweetest, I have found 

The good old " Used-To-Bee." 

The sweets we 've stored are our reward, 

Saved for a rainy day, 
And keep us warm against the storm 

Of troubles on our way. 

So here 's to thee, old " Used-To-Bee," 

So rich in treasure-trove ! 
Long as I live, my thanks I '11 give 

For all thy gifts of love. 




SkU^mj 6 ttkyear 



iBtobember U 




THE FRUIT 

Tears may fall — I 'm not complaining. 
In my heart it 's simply raining, 
And mayhap from out my woe 
Something green will later grow 
That will add unto my power 
In some chance, emergent hour 
To relieve the burden gray 
Of some comrade gone astray! 




o? Qm o y (Jutr 



A SUMMONS 

Ho — let 's out upon the wing ! 
Somewhere some one 's suffering! 
Sound the gong and clear the road! 
On we come with loving load 
Full of cheer and comradeship 
For the soul in trouble's grip! 

All the drowning 's not at sea. 
Some on land poor swimmers be, 
Going downward, helpless, lost, 
In life's waters tempest-tost — 
Lost for just a timely rope 
Cast by love, and weft of hope! 




fall® ty d tfay ear] 

jHotoemfcer 13 



THE DAYMAKER 

I care not what the Weather Bureau says 
From this time on I 'm making my own days, 
And if without the tempests roar and spin, 
If so I choose I '11 have sunshine within; 
Or if I need the rain, and skies are bright, 
I know just how to bring dark clouds in sight. 
Though truth to tell I plan to specialize 
On cheery days, with brilliant, sunny skies 
A-gleam with joy, and leave the other style 
For solemn folks who 'd rather frown than 
smile. 




o? [int o Qfutr 

iSotoember 14 

V 

AS TO PINING 

The English tongue sometimes, I fear, 
Would strike a man from Mars as queer. 
For instance, when some people say, 
" 'T is sad to see one pine away." 
They do not know the kind of pine 
That gladdens so this soul of mine 
When I observe it front the ill 
Of winter with its bitter chill, 
Its green persistent in the face 
Of every blast that comes apace; 
Its head held high against the sky 
Whatever tempest passes by; 
And mid the blizzards as serene 
As in the summer, soft and green. 
It simply pines, and pines away, 
And gathers strength day. after day; 
And stands erect whate'er may be,. 
And takes what comes unflinchingly. 

How wondrous fine 't would be, I say, 
If folks would only " pine " that way! 




Jictoember 15 



WHEN KINKS APPEAR 

No matter if you think 

The world is in a kink, 

Just strike your proper gait 

And keep your own path straight. 

It won't be long before, 
In footing up the score, 
You '11 find past any doubt 
The kink is straightened out. 




Ttf 



o? JJm o 1 Qutr 



iBtofoember 16 



AS TO WASTE 

If all the waste were used, my dear, 
Drear want would shortly disappear, 
And not a soul in all the race 
Would stand with hunger face to face, 
If all the waste were used. 

And this refers to sympathy 
And tender, true humanity 
For all the human brood, my dear, 
And not alone to food, my dear, 
If all the waste were used! 

So, who '11 become a granary 

For those that starve for sympathy, 

And fill with food 

The multitude 
Whose souls grow faint for just a taste 
Of that we 're letting run to waste, 

But would be fed 

And comforted, 
If all the waste were used? 




fati®aydtfieymr\ 

Mobtmbzx \7 



WAITING SMILES 

All the worry in the world 

Never killed despair. 
Trouble never yet was furled 

On the rod of care. 

Grit your teeth, and steadily 

Plod your thorny road. 
Some To-day will rectify 

Wrongs of yesterday. 

Somewhere, somehow, there '11 be smiles 

Waiting on the road, 
Easing off the weary miles, 

Lightening your load. 




J^otoember 18 



THE TEACHER 

Woe came to me one day, and quietly we 

talked, 
And when she went her way, my troubled 

path I walked 
Contentedly, for she, despite her visage 

drear, 
Had given unto me a vision bright and clear. 

She pointed clearly out, unerringly and plain, 
Just how it came about that I had suffered 

pain; 
And while she 'd made me wan with trial and 

distress, 
She helped me start upon the Road to 

Happiness. 

There never was a good black night 
That did not point the way to light ! 







ASSETS 

I may possess no drossy treasure-trove, 

But — I have love ! 
It may be in some lowering clouds I grope, 

But — I have hope! 
With love and hope to make my days secure, 

My fortune 's sure. 
Without them all the riches of the earth 

Have little worth; 
But with them, lacking gold, I still opine 

Success is mine ! 







UNBOUND 

Sometimes when feeling close confined 

And shut within a narrow sphere, 
It 's rather pleasing to my mind 

To gaze off in the heavens clear, 
And fancy that the earth is but 

A front-seat at some wondrous show 
Where I may sit and watch the strut 

Of forces marching to and fro; 
And when the play for me is done, 

I '11 find at last a dwelling-place 
In broad fields bounded by the sun, 

The moon, the stars, and endless space. 




Jlobember 21 



A PRESCRIPTION 

If you would check your trouble crop 
Just put old worry on the shelf, 

And on this very instant stop 
A-sympathizing with yourself. 

Self-sympathy 's a kind of care 
That seldom lands us anywhere. 




Jfrotoember 22 



PAY AS YOU GO 

Thanksgiving Day will soon be here, 

But it has ever been my way, 
And one that 's filled my soul with cheer, 

To keep Thanksgiving every day. 
It really helps a lot, you know, 
To keep on paying as you go, 
Not putting off till the account 
Foots up to such a vast amount 
That you 're not certain if your store 
Is quite sufficient for the score. 




\&icfi ( Day otkytar] 

j£otoemt»er 23 



WHEN THINGS ARE SPARSE 

Don't grieve if haply you are thin! 

Remember, 't is no fable, 
The fattest turkey 's first to win 

His place upon our table; 
And oversleekness often brings 

A consequential guerdon 
That makes the lot of lofty kings 

A mighty heavy burden. 




o? (m o Qutr 

Jlotoemfcer 24 



COMING WINTER 

There 's frost upon the window-pane, 

And bitter is the air. 
The birds are winging south again, 

And chill is everywhere. 
But 'gainst the rime of wintry days 

I 've stored within my soul 
Enough of summer's sunny rays 

To ease my meed of dole. 
And when it comes to chilly nights 

With tempests fierce a-wing 
I sleep, and dream of harbor lights 

About the Ports of Spring. 




\£ack { Day 6 tkymr] 

jfrobember 25 



A PREFERENCE 



In distant skies the gorgeous hues 

Of scintillating beauty glow, 
And with their glories vast suffuse 

The drifting clouds that float below. 
About me on the city streets 

A drab and sordid prospect lies, 
And everywhere grim sorrow greets 

And fills with woe my watching eyes. 

Yet would I dwell below with these 

Whose portion is but grim despair, 
Not 'mongst those cloudland mysteries 

For all their glowing beauty rare. 
For they 're but cloud-lands, after all, 

Adrift all aimlessly above; 
While here below whene'er I call 

I find realities of love. 




o? (im o Qktr 

J^obember 26 



HEART-ZONES 

I Ve charted off my heart to-day 

In quite a geographic way. 

When some unhappy comrade falls 

And for a speedy judgment calls 

The Zone called Temperate I '11 use 

In reckoning his final dues. 

When anger comes to vex my path 

And vengeful thoughts lead on to wrath, 

The Arctic Zone will cool me off 

And at my mad impulses scoff; 

And when there 's need for sympathy, 

The Torrid Zone will do for me. 

Thus will my heart in thought and deed, 

And kindly impulse serve my need. 




Jlobember 27 



RELIEF IN RHYME 

When matters go askew sometimes 

I find much help in making rhymes. 

For instance, when I darkly grope 

It helps a lot to think of " hope." 

And when the night is black as " ink " 

It helps to think that dawn is " pink." 

When scenes are steeped in misery 

I like to dwell on " charity." 

" Glad " rhymes with " sad," and " light " 

with " night," 
While " plight " and " spite " suggest " de- 
light," 
And as for "jeer," and " sneer," and " fear," 
My rhyming scheme leads on to " cheer." 

Just try it when your days are " blue." 
Your rhyme may show that " skies are, too." 




qJL Qm o Qieer 

Jlotoember 28 



THE PARADOX 

If you have a thought of glee, 
Just some little note of cheer, 

Wander forth right speedily, 
Pour it in some comrade's ear. 

If you have a thought of dread, 
Of some evil you must read, 

Keep it close within your head, 
In your spirit buried deep. 

Of your joys spend lavishly. 

Be a miser with your fear. 
What you spend will multiply; 

What you hoard will disappear! 




jBtobember 29 



ALWAYS READY 

When all about me rush like mad, 
And push and shove in wild abandon, 

Amid the turmoil I am glad 

That I Ve two sturdy legs to stand on. 

And if caught in that onward smash 
They overturn me as they fly on, 

It comforts me as down I crash 

To think that I Ve my back to lie on. 




qA Qm o Qxztr 

jBtctoember 30 



MY KINGDOM 

Who 'd be a king when he can be 

A man that 's free? 
Who 'd bend beneath his pompous load 

And lose the road? 
Who 'd cherish stores of yellow dross 

Involving loss 
Of love, and freedom, and the greens 

Of peaceful scenes? 
Not I ! The only king I 'd be 

Is king of Me, 
Lord of Myself, and Master of my Soul 

That is my goal! 




December I 



THE LAST CHAPTER 

Now comes the final chapter of the year. 
The last days of its span are flying fast. 
We balance up our books in woe and cheer. 
The totals of our loss and profit cast. 

For me, in looking back, I choose to dwell 
On sunny days that stand in bold relief, 
And of their many happinesses tell, 
With eyes tight-closed to every hour of grief. 

Thus grows the retrospect in joy, and I 
Approach another turning of life's page 
Unvexed to think that I am passing by 
A further milestone on the path to age. 




HOLY DAYS 

Yes, December 's cold and gray, 
And the birds have flown away, 

Leaving us to wintry stress, 
But ourselves can change the scene 
With the tints of summer green 

With the brush of kindliness. 

Soon the holidays we '11 see, 
Full of mad hilarity, 

Full of joys delirious — 
By some act of kindness done 
We can make them every one 

Truly Holy Days for us ! 




TOGETHER 

No matter what the kind of weather, 
The fairest path I know 's " Together," 
When through some bright or cloudy strand 
Two lovers walk it, hand in hand. 

E'en though we cannot join them there 
The sight of them is passing fair, 
Just as we joy in sunset hues 
Which we may gaze on, but not use. 




©ecember 4 



THE FIRES OF FRIENDSHIP 

Blow on, ye wintry blasts ! Ye vex me not. 
I 'm poor in coin, maybe, but rich in friends, 
And every bitter ill that thou hast got 
In Friendship's face incontinently ends. 

The fires of comradeship are constant, true. 
They burn for aye, despite thy wintry rue, 
And ne'er an ice-woe from the arctic day 
Can stand before the glow of such as they. 




Sacfi'Dcyotlieyear 

December 5 



THE LAGGARD 

Time often drags, but why complain, for- 
sooth? 

What though his onward step 's not faster, 
stronger? 

The slower he to pass, we hold our youth 
The longer! 




December 6 



THE SECRET 

If we could only understand the language of 

the breeze, 
And grasp the inner meaning of the whisp'- 

rings of the trees, 
I 'm sure the message they 'd impart would 

drive away all fear, 
And bid us be right strong of heart, and hold 

it full of cheer. 

I 'm sure they 'd bid us note how quick the 

storm clouds drift away, 
And how no mist can e'er persist before the 

smile of day, 
And when Life's secret stands revealed in all 

its blessed truth 
We 'd find it in the blissful fact of Love's 

eternal youth. 




SBecember 7 



FRIENDLY NATURE 

When in my troubles sunny days come by 
I look on them as gifts from up on high 
To cheer me in the hour of my rue, 
And bid me hold my soul steadfast and true. 
And if perchance the skies are full of rain, 
And moaning winds fly over hill and plain, 
They are not added woe, but proof to me 
That in my stress I Ve Nature's sympathy — 

As tears, and sighs, 
Of kindly friends show that they sympathize. 




FOR TO-DAY 

Let this morning's motto be 
Kindliness and Courtesy, 
Smiles for all upon the way. 
Then however bleak the day 
I shall feel when it is over 
Like a bee amid the clover, 
Gathering honey all day long, 
Humming out my life in song. 




Becembet 9 



THE DEMONSTRATION 

To make your faith 
No spectral wraith, 
Just found your creed 
Not on the word but on the deed. 

The more 't is used 
In deeds suffused 
And put into 
The little things you daily do, 

The more 't will grow ; 
And ere you know 
'T will gather strength, 
And finally 't will turn at length, 

The more you act, 
Into a fact 
So plain that you 
Will never have to prove it true. 




JBetembet 10 



PROFITABLE LOSS 

Ofttimes in bargains involving dross 
I Ve found the profit was wholly loss, 
And other times in my bitter pain 
I Ve found my loss in the end was gain. 

Wherefore it seems that the thing to do 
When lowering troubles loom into view 
Is to see what use we can put 'em to, 
And turn the losses that there impend 
Into some kind of a dividend! 




ifix/i^ d tkyearvf 



December U 



THE HARVEST 

Without, I grant, I show my age, 

But deep within I 'm young as ever. 
Let hoary Time turn page on page 

And rush along in mad endeavor 
To prove me old ! I '11 merely laugh, 

His scythe and hour-glass defying. 
Love's wheat is mine — his share 's the chaff 

Of arbitrary days a-flying! 




UL Qnt o Qfutr 



©ecember 12 



NOT WHITHER BUT WHERE 

Where we 're to be some day 't were quite 
as well 
To leave unto the verdict of our star. 
'T were wiser much for us to rest a spell 
And take a daily reckoning to tell 
Us where we are. 

Foresight is fine, yet thinking on to-morrow, 
Neglectful of the chances here to-day, 

Is like to living on the sweets we borrow 
Unmindful of the fruit along the way. 




©ecember 13 



UPSTREAM 

Never mind the rocky bed, 

Or the rapids round you spread, 

Grip your oars and pull ahead! 

Never mind the rushing tide, 
Nor the whirling pools that hide 
'Neath the stream on every side. 

Heed ye not the currents strong 
Setting toward the ports of wrong, 
Grip your oars and pull along. 

Let your sweep be broad and true 
On the course that sets into 
Harbors fair that wait for you. 

Head-winds blow, and false lights gleam 
Hard is rowing 'gainst the stream, 
But the prizes are supreme ! 

Where head-waters bubble free 
There the fountain-sources be 
Of the powers of the sea! 




o? {ine. o' Qvtvr 

©ecember 14 



NEVER FAILING 

No matter how the winds are humming 
It 's always true that summer 's coming. 
It 's coming any time of year, 
In spring the fair, in winter drear; 

When bees are humming, 

Or blasts are strumming 

With sleet or rain 

Upon your pane, 
It 's always coming, coming, coming, 
And some day 'twill be here 
With all its warmth and cheer 
To share its treasures joyously 

With you and me ! 




JBecembet 15 



THE UPWARD WAY 

Whose soul shall rise above the cloud 

That blights the path that must be run 
Will reach the realms with bliss endowed 

Where shines the everlasting sun. 
Put rein and bridle on the mist, 

And ride oblivious to care, 
And on the upward way persist — 

The light is surely waiting there. 




©ecember 16 



IN THE DEPTHS 

Deeper than reason, deeper than mind, 
Down in the depths of my spirit I find 
Senses of vast and ungraspable things 
Stirring the soul like a flutter of wings, 
Filling my heart with a faith in a day 
Far in the future, yet here in a way, 
Blest with the light of a Fatherly face, 
Loving of eye, and a-glowing with grace, 
Bidding me enter of sorrows all free 
Into the home that is waiting for me. 
That is the faith in my spirit I find, 
Deeper than reason, deeper than mind, 
Senses of love, and ineffable things, 
Stirring my soul like a flutter of wings ! 




December 17 



AS TO RESENTMENT 

Resentment? Nay, my friend — it's not 

worth while. 
A thousand frowns are n't worth a single 

smile, 
And as for me I have no time to spare 
For going round with a resentful air, 
When everywhere I look I see some chance 
To greet a fellow man with loving glance 
To help him on, and make the road I run 

A brighter one, 
And give the highways dark that lie ahead 

That I must tread 
Some of the radiant sweetness of the sun. 




o? fine <j (Jutr 

Becember 18 



THE SURPLUS 

If so your cup 

With joy fills up 
That it is over-brimming, 

Pray keep in sight 

The hapless wight 
In difficulties swimming. 

Just take the waste 

You cannot taste 
To some poor soul in sorrow. 

I 'm quite inclined 

To think you '11 find 
Your stock increased to-morrow 




JBecember 10 



HEAD AND HEART 

When Heart says " Do," and Head says 

" Don't," 
And Will 's inclined to say " I won't! " 
It may be wrong* to follow Heart 
And from the paths of Head depart, 
But all the same I 've heard much song 
On roads wise Head hath branded wrong, 
And sooner found the light that 's true 
On byways Heart hath brought to view! 




qJL [int o Qieer 

December 20 



THE DIVIDEND 

To-day my banner is unfurled, 

And forth I go 

To scenes of woe, 
To add unto the glory of the world 

By some good deed 

For those in need: 
To dry the tears in some one's eyes; 
To drive the clouds from some one's skies; 
And on my sturdy shoulders bear 
The burden of some other's care; 
And when at e'en the sunset falls 
On distant hills, on city walls, 
In all its splendor, rich, divine, 
Some of its radiance will be mine ! 




©ecember 21 



A YEAR AGO 

Now where was I a year ago? 
Enmeshed in just what net of woe? 

Blest if I know! 
Hence naught of tribute shall I pay- 
To any trouble here to-day. 
A year will shortly pass away, 

And every fear 

At present here, 
Just as that woe of yesteryear, 
Will lie forgot, unless I choose 
To cherish it, which I refuse ! 






Becemfcet 22 



THE HOLLY WREATH 

The holly wreath 's a joyous sight 

To cure us of despond, 
And it is made exactly right 

To let us look beyond — 
Beyond the scenes of gladsome mirth 

That all about us be, 
Into those other scenes of earth 

And opportunity. 

The berry's glow amid the green 

Speaks of that jewelled day 
When love whose like was never seen 

Dawned on our mortal way; 
And through the spaces garlanded 

We look upon God's poor, 
And find the path before us spread 

To make His love secure ! 




©ecember 23 



GIFTS 



If you have the gift of song, 
Use it, use it, all day long ! 

If you have the gift of mirth, 
Let it gladden all the earth! 

If you have the gift of cheer, 
Let it echo loud and clear 1 

If you have stores of content, 
Be its joys on others spent; 

And your Christmas dividend 
Will be good will without end 




December 24 



AS TO SANTA CLAUS 

'T is quite the fad these days of doubt 

To put old Santa on the shelf; 

But you can put such doubt to rout 

By being Santa Claus yourself! 

So sling your pack 

Upon your back, 
And seek the hovels poor and mean 
Where Santa Claus is seldom seen, 
And take the souls that there abide 
Their portion of the Christmastide. 




December 25 



HIGH FESTIVAL 

Now let the chimes that sweetly ring 

Upon the frosty morning air 
Surcease from every trouble bring 

To grateful spirits everywhere, 
And as the coming of the Lord 

Brought hope of grace to sinners all, 
Let every heart, with one accord, 

Rejoice in His High Festival, 
And spread good will 
O'er dale and hill; 
And where in darkness some may grope 
Illume their paths with rays of hope, 
Until e'en regions of distress 
Beam with the light of happiness! 




December 26 



A CHRISTMAS PRAYER 

Give me the eyes to see my brother's woe ; 
Grant me the vision that perceives his care, 
That I, amid my Christmas joys, may go 
And take some touch of mitigation there. 

God point the way that I may quickly find 
His acre waiting for the glad relief, 
And ope my eyes that I may not be blind 
To tasks of love that ease the sting of grief. 




fafiftoyotkytar 



©ecembet 27 



THE EVER YOUNG 

Let the short days run, 
And the years fly by, 
And the blazing sun 
Speed across the sky. 
What need you care for his path of ruth 
If your heart holds fast to the joys of youth? 

Let your locks grow white, 
And your brow be lined, 
In the swift sped flight 
Of the years behind. 
Why vex your soul as they run along 
If your heart still rings with a youthful song? 

Let the minutes race, 

And the old clock tell 
Of their madcap pace 
With its mellowed bell. 
Age cannot touch, nor its sorrows sear 
The spirit that holds to its youthful cheer. 




OL [mi o Qxttr 

December 25 



M 



LEGAL TENDER 

Give me gold to pay my debts — 
Gold or silver, I don't care. 

When they 're gone I 've no regrets 
That no longer they are there. 

But when I would seek content, 

Peace and life's felicity, 
Dross hath little blandishment. 

Love the mintage is for me ! 




JBtttmbtx 29 



YESTERDAY, TO-DAY, AND 
TO-MORROW 

How very fair to-morrow looks, and O how 

very dear 
The memories of yesterday to most of us 

appear! 
Ah, well, my friend, remember as you run 

along your way, 
To-day was once to-morrow, and will soon 

be yesterday. 
Let 's keep it fair as we have dreamed, and 

as we pass along, 
'T will make another yesterday all bright 

and full of song. 




o? Qnt o J Qfutr 



©ecemfaer 30 



WINTER 

When Winter in her frosty pride 
Puts on a lot of pompous sjde, 

And loudly blows, 
It really makes me want to laugh 
As I reflect on how much chaff 

Lies in her pose. 

The fact is — and a rose I knew 
Last summer told me, and it 's too - 

Too good to keep — 
She 's not a queen of lofty birth, 
But just a nurse to watch the earth 

While it 's asleep ! 

A mighty good one though is she, 
And does her duty faithfully, 

Despite her way. 
Were earth to lose her snowy drifts 
We 'd sadly miss the floral gifts 

Of smiling May! 





December 31 



THE PASSING YEAR 

Another year hath gone and added to your 

age? 
Nay, 't is not so, my friend — you 've turned 

another page 
In Life's great story book, and now before 

your eyes 

Another chapter lies, 
To tell us all alike, the patriarch and youth, 
How run the blessed paths that lead us on to 

truth ! 



fmmr( 



4 1918 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Sept. 2009 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEAOER IN COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION 

111 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



